[Establishment of primary culture of cells derived from human uterine endometrium]

A culture of cells derived from the endometrium was established to study in vitro the effects of hormone on the endometrium. Endometrial tissue was cut into small pieces and suspended in trypsin and collagenase-containing medium. The primary cell culture was obtained by six passages. The following observations appeared to indicate that the cultured cells consisted of endometrial epithelium-derived adenocytes, endometrial stromal cells and fibroblasts: 1. The epithelium-derived adenocytes and the endometrial stromal cells were positive and the fibroblasts were negative for staining with keratin by the enzyme-labelled antibody method. 2. Transmission electron microscopic observation revealed microvilli on the surface of the adenocytes, abundant free ribosomes in the cytoplasm, and nucleoli in distinct nuclei whose margin was deeply stained. Junction complexes among the cells were also observed. There were no microvilli on the surface of the endometrial stromal cell. Filaments, mitochondria and secreting granules were distinctly seen in the cytoplasm. The adenocytes on the margin of the nucleus itself were more deeply stained, and the margin was notched. The fibroblasts were spindle-shaped, and there no basement membrane structure laterally along the surface of the fibroblast. There were no intercellular junction complexes but there were filaments in the intercellular borders and in the cytoplasm. Chromatin in the large oval nuclei was dispersed.