Glycolytic activity of neonatal rat palatal mucosa maintained in organ culture

The glycolytic activity of neonatal rat palatal mucosa was determined after maintenance in a chemically defined medium for periods up to 28 days. Glycolytic specific activity progressively fell over the culture period but the protein content per expiant progressively increased. When expressed per expiant, the glycolytic activity was increased after 2 days of maintenance in vitro but then slowly returned to control values by 28 days. It is suggested that these changes are the result of altered rates of cell proliferation and maturation rather than a disturbance of cellular metabolism resulting from sub-optimal culture conditions.