[Preliminary study on primary culture of cells from Oncomelania hupensis]

To study the primary culture of cells from Oncomelania hupensis.

After washed in the sterile solution with antibiotic, the Oncomelania hupensis snails and their eggs were dissected. The soft tissue, liver, mantle and the embryo were collected and torn up respectively. Above tissues except mantle were digested by a mixture containing equal volumes of 0.25% trypsin and 0.02% EDTA for several hours at 4 degrees C. The cells after digestion were inoculated. Meanwhile, the tissue of mantle were inoculated by moist system method. All cells were cultured separately in medium 1/2 RP-MI1640 containing 20% calf serum and antibiotics (penicillin G 100 IU/ml, streptomycin 100 micrograms/ml) at pH 7.2-7.4 and temperature of 27 degrees C-28 degrees C.

After the embryonic tissue was digested by tryspin/EDTA mixture, lots of dissociated cells were obtained. Some of the cells began to adhere to the culture flask surface after cultured for 5 days. The adhering cells were flat and polygonal, about(15-20 x 12-15) micron in diameter. But most of the cells were still suspending in the media. The suspending cells were round, usually about 8-12 microns in diameter with a few reaching 30-35 microns in diameter. These cells grew well and could be subcultured.

Embryonic cells from Oncomelania hupensis can be primarily cultured and subcultured.