ISOLATION OF THE CELLS FOR CYTOLOGICAL AND CYTOGENETIC STUDIES OF THYROID EPITHELIUM

This paper presents a detailed description of the method for obtaining of high quality smears of thyrocytes from the fragments of rat (30 animals) and human (20 cases) thyroid gland using the method of enzymatic dissociation in 0.25% aqueous solution of collagenase (collagenase for pancreatic islet isolation type XI, collagen digestive activity 1,205 units/mg, Sigma, USA) at 37°C during 1; 1,5; 2; 2,5 and 3 hours. Optimal time for dissociation in each individual case should be determined using control smears. This approach permitted to successively perform morphological, morphometric and cytophotometric analysis of the glandular cells, to evaluate the relative proportions of different cell types (mitotically dividing cells, binucleate cells, aberrant forms with the micronuclei) in animal experiments as well as in the various types of human thyroid pathology.

thyroid gland, thyrocytes, thyrocytes, cell isolation, smears, cytogenetic studies