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Isolation of Rodent Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells by Enzymatic Digestions
1Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, Greece. evapantazaka@upatras.gr.
Abstract:
Isolation of cells from tissues can be as daunting a task as it is satisfying. Primary cells closely resemble the tissue they originate from, recapitulating its properties. Here, the procedure for isolating smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from the rat aorta using enzymatic digestions is outlined. Notwithstanding the difference in size and thickness of the aortic wall, the protocol can also be applied to isolate cells from the mouse aorta, which is advantageous considering the plethora of transgenic mice models. A single-cell suspension of cells staining positive for smooth muscle α-actin is obtained.
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