Spontaneous contractions of dispersed vascular muscle in cell culture

Dispersed vascular muscle cells from chick omphalomesenteric vessels maintained in primary cell culture contracted spontaneously. Six methods which produced contracting isolated muscle cells are described and compared. The combination of dispersion method and culture conditions to produce contracting muscle cells was more critical for vascular than for heart muscle. These findings of continuing pacemaker function demonstrate that functional integrity of isolated vascular muscle cells is possible to maintain. Further indication of the full functional state of the isolated vascular muscle cells was demonstrated by the sensitivity to norepinephrine at a physiological concentration (0.1 muM). Spontaneous contraction frequencies were similar to the range found in situ, and spontanious or norepinephrine-induced contractions had time courses corresponding to intact vessel contractions. This is the first report that isolated vascular muscle cells in primary cell culture retain functional characteristics found in situ and are suitable for pharmacological characterization of individual muscle cells.