Organotypical tissue cultures from fetal and neonatal murine colon

Abstract

The complex functions of the gastrointestinal tract rely on the coordinated interplay of several cell and tissue types involving epithelium, connective tissue, smooth muscles as well as cells of the immune and nervous system. It is therefore obvious, that these functions can hardly be investigated sufficiently using cell lines or two-dimensional cell cultures. Here, we describe an easy to produce three-dimensional organotypical explants culture from fetal and neonatal murine colon. This model is suitable for in vitro testing of intestinal function or the evaluation of developmental or pathological processes.