GB440802A - Improvements in the preparation of stable suspensions of animal tissue cells - Google Patents

Abstract

Non - agglutinating or non - agglutinable aqueous suspensions of animal tissue cells are prepared by dispersing fresh cellular material in the presence of small amounts of alcohols containing more than six carbon atoms, e.g. octyl alcohol or benzyl alcohol; organic compounds containing sulphonic groups, or water-soluble salts thereof, e.g. polyanethol sulphonic acid salts, or m - amino - benzoyl - m - amino - p - methyl - benzoyl - 1 - naphthylamine - 4 - 6 - 8 trisulphonic acid carbamide; or the organ extracts known under the names Heparin, Hirudin and Novirudin. These substances do not affect the cells and are either surface-tension depressants or prevent the coagulation of blood. Antiseptic agents are also preferably added to the suspension, e.g. in amounts of the order of 0,1 to 0,2 per cent. Suitable agents include camphoric acid, hexamethylene tetramine, hexamethylene tetramine triborate, anhydromethylene citric acid hexamethylene tetramine, salicylic acid phenyl ester, hexyl resorcin, and the methyl and ethyl esters of hydroxybenzoic acid. The above substances may also be injected before the cell suspensions are prepared. Such suspensions, e.g. of embryonal cells, cells of normal or diseased organs, or cancer cells may be treated for test purposes with sera, other cells, chemical reagents, ferments or hormones and the results observed by suitable methods. According to examples: (1) a mixture of 0,25 c.c. secondary octyl alcohol, 0,75 c.c. absolute ethyl alcohol and 0,6 c.c. water is added to an agglutinated cell suspension in the proportion of 1 drop per c.c. of suspension. After shaking, the agglomerations are broken up into single cells; (2) one drop of 1 per cent solution of Hirudin is added per c.c. of a cell suspension. The cells remain singly in the suspension; (3) similarly one drop of 0,1 per cent aqueous solution of m-amino-benzoyl-m-amino - p - methyl - benzoyl - 1 - naphthylamine - 4-6-8-trisulphonic acid carbamide is added to each c.c. of a cell suspension; (4) a rabbit having a tumour is injected intravenously with 15 mgs. of the sodium salt of polyanethol sulphonic acid per kgm. living weight. The tumour mass is isolated from the dead animal and worked up into a cell suspension which has little tendency to agglutinate.