Tissue culture study of adult human retina neurons

Explant cultures were established from adult human retina tissues obtained from 20 individuals (age range 19-79), 7-45 hr postmortem, and maintained for the period of up to 4 months. Forty percent of these cultures (eight out of 20 cases) produced healthy and viable cultures as judged by phase contrast microscopy and by electron microscopy. Phase contrast microscopic examination of living cultures showed that the early outgrowths of the explants consisted of flat fibroblasts migrating out from the edge of the explants. For the next 2-4 weeks, a large population of small spherical or ovoid cells possessing thin processes was found in the areas of the outgrowth. Electron microscopic examination of cultures revealed the survival of photoreceptors, neurons and synapses with well preserved ultrastructures. This communication is the first to describe the successful culture of adult human CNS neurons in general and adult human retina neurons in particular. This culture system is ideally suited to investigate the effects of infective or toxic agents suspected of causing retinal pathology in human eye diseases.