Dispersion and cultivation of renal cells after short-term storage of kidneys

A new method for the preparation of cell suspensions from human newborn kidneys is described. It involves the use of a mixture of trypsin-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and collagenase. The cell yields obtained after tissue dispersion by this method were significantly greater than those obtained after dispersion with either trypsin or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid alone or in combination. When kidneys were removed 12 h or more postmortem from refrigerated cadavers, higher cell yields were obtained from renal tissue stored overnight at 4 to 6 C in CMRL ATM (Healy and Parker, 1966), as compared to cell yields obtained from kidneys processed immediately upon removal. This observation was confirmed by controlled experiments performed with rabbit kidneys.