Preparation of suspensions of small bowel mucosal epithelial cells.

Abstract

Abstract The application of controlled mechanical stress to the intestinal mucosa, in the form of low-amplitude, high-frequency vibration, is a simple, rapid method of obtaining a suspension of intact viable epithelial cells. This technique has the advantage of yielding relatively large volumes of these cells without the use of enzymes or chelating substances. Controlled study of the uptake and/or later release of various labeled substances by these cells should broaden our understanding of the physiology of intestinal absorptive function.