비중격 만곡증 환자의 비내수술시 채취한 정상 하비갑개 점막조직으로 부터 상피세포만을 분리세포의 단층배양법(monolayer culture of dissociated cells)으로 배양하여 비점막 상피세포 배양법을 정립하고 또한 배양된 세포가 상피세포임을 동정하기 위하여 간접 면역형광항체법으로 상피세포 특유의 cytokeratin을 확인하였고 투과전자현미경으로 상피세포만이 가지고 있는 교소체(desmosome) 및 장세사(tonofilament) 등을 확인하였으며 6회까지 계대배양을 할 수 있었다. 향후 본 연구에서 배양된 비점막 상피세포를 이용하여 알레르기성 비염 등과 같은 비점막 염증성 질환의 병태생리에서 상피세포의 역할에 대한 연구와 호산구등 염증 세포의 침윤과 상피세포의 손상에 접착분자 및 cytokine의 상호작용에 관한 연구가 계속될 수 있을 것으로 기대한다.
Different techniques for culturing respiratory epithelial cells have been developed to overcome the limitations of studies on in vivo and on bioptic material. Traditionally, culture systems are divided into organ cultures, explant cultures and dissociated cell cultures. The first two contain both epithelial and non-epithelial cells. However, in monolayer cultures of dissociated cells only epithelial cells are present, the effects observed are caused by a pure epithelial responses. The purpose of this study is to establish primary culture method of human nasal epithelium (HNEC) by monolayer culture of dissociated cells to evaluate the role of the epithelial cells in the allergic and non-allergic nasal inflammatory reactions. HNEC was prepared by primary culture method of monolayer culture of dissociated cells from human inferior nasal turbinate mucosa of septal deviation patients. Primary cultured cells were characterized by indirect immunofluorescence assay and transmission electron microscopy. The immunoreactivities of cytokeratin-pan and cytokeratin No. 8 were observed in cultured HNEC. However, the immnoreactivities of vimentin and von Willebrand factor were not observed in cultured HNEC. The tonofilaments and desmosome were observed in cultured HNEC. The cultured epithelial cells were identified to be pure nasal epithelial cells. The monolayer culture of dissociated cells could successfully be employed for further study to investigate the role of the epithelial cells in allergic or non-allergic nasal inflammatory diseases.
