In-vitro Studies on the Development of Rat Peritoneal Mast Cells

A new in vitro culture method is presented that yields > 90% pure mast cells after culture of mast cell-depleted rat peritoneal cells within two weeks. The cells are placed in a medium containing 20% L-cell supernatant and 15% horse serum. Toluidine blue and safranin-positive cells that contain typical mast cell granules, as shown by electronmicroscopy, develop from small mononuclear cells. Proliferation, to the exclusion of other cell types, is optimal by two weeks. Histamine (150–475 ng/1 × 10 6 cells) can be released from the cells by compound 48/80 at this time. Viability and cell number decrease gradually after two weeks. The data show for the first time that mast cells can be grown from rat peritoneal precursor cells in vitro and offer a simple method for obtaining almost pure, cultured mast cells.