Cell Culture Overview

Cell Culture

• Cell culture is the process of cultivating cells and tissues outside the body in an artificial environment, often a petri dish, designed to replicate conditions found within the body.
• Cell culture replicates in vivo (inside the body) conditions by providing an environment that includes temperature, nutrition, CO2 concentration, humidity, and oxygen concentration, and protects against invading microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
• Cell culture can be used to study cells and tissues in a controlled environment, allowing researchers to observe and manipulate cellular processes.

Types of Cell Culture

• Primary cultures: Cells are directly removed from a tissue.
• Cell lines: Cells that have been derived from primary cultures and have been cultivated for an extended period, allowing for increased growth and proliferation.

Methods of Cell Culture

• Primary Cultures: Cells are isolated from an organ or tissue using enzymatic or mechanical methods.
• Cell Lines: Cells are either derived from primary cultures or are established cell lines that are already in existence.

Cell Culture Stages

• Primary Culture: The initial stage where cells are isolated and cultured for the first time.
• Confluent Culture: Occurs when the cells reach a certain density, typically 80% of the available space in the culture vessel, halting cell division.
• Subculture: The process of transferring cells from a confluent culture to a new culture vessel to allow for continued growth and passage.
• Secondary Cell Line: A cell line that has been derived from a primary culture and has undergone at least one subculture.
• Finite Divisions: The limited number of times a primary cell line can be subcultured before ultimately reaching a point of no further cell division.
• Immortalized Cell Lines: Cell lines derived from tumor cells or cells that have been genetically modified, enabling them to divide indefinitely.

Applications of Cell Culture

• Drug discovery and development.
• Toxicology testing.
• Tissue engineering.
• Studying cellular function and disease mechanisms.