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Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Preparation of Intact Bovine Tail Intervertebral Discs for Organ Culture
Published on: February 2, 2012
Isolation of Nucleus Pulposus and Annulus Fibrosus Cells from the Intervertebral Disc
Guus G H van den Akker1, Andy Cremers1, Donatus A M Surtel1
1Laboratory for Experimental Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Cells isolated from the intervertebral disc are often used for in vitro experimentation. Correctly separating the intervertebral disc tissue in annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus is particularly challenging when working with surplus material from surgery or specimens from donors with an advanced age. Moreover, lineage controls are only sparsely reported to verify tissue of origin. Here we describe an approach to intervertebral disc cell isolation from human and bovine origin.

