A Method for Preparing Isolated Glands from the Rabbit Gastric Mucosa

A method for isolating gastric glands from the corpus of the rabbit gastric mucosa is presented. The stomach of an anesthetized rabbit was perfused with saline under high pressure through the aorta, taken out and emptied. The mucosa was stripped off, minced into small pieces and transferred to a 1 mg/ml collagenase solution. After 90 min at 37 degrees C, a large number of isolated gastric glands and cells were separated free. By a simple washing procedure the glands were freed from cell contamination and collagenase. The gastric glands were viable, as demonstrated by dye exclusion technique, oxygen consumption and electrolyte content. For identification of the glandular cells both common staining techniques and electron microscopy were used. Four types of cells were identified, viz. parietal cells, zymogen cells, mucous neck cells and some endocrine cells. The intracellular morphology of the glandular cells did not differ significantly from that seen in intact gastric mucosa. The glands could be stimulated with histamine, in a dose-response manner, as revealed by the increase in oxygen consumption (ED-50 equal 3 X 10(-6) M). This isolated gastric gland preparation may serve as a useful tool for new approaches in gastric physiology.