In vitro culture of human thyroid cells

Procedures for establishing primary cultures of human thyroid tissue are described. Tissues removed surgically from patients with papillary carcinoma (PC), follicular adenoma (FA), or hyperthyroidism were grown in culture. In addition, normal cells were separated from the margins of excised tumors and were also cultured. For each gram of thyroid tissue cultured, more than 1 x 105 cells attached to culture dishes. A mixture of 2.5 % fetal bovine serum supplemented with insulin, hydrocortisone, transferrin, glycl-1-histidyl-L-lysine acetate, somatostatin and epidermal growth factor was added to nutrient media containing equal parts of Ham's F-12 and minimum essential medium (αMEM). Complete medium selectively supported epithelial cell growth while restricting fibroblast cell growth, especially during the first two weeks of the primary culture. Cells were stimulated with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and produced raised levels of cAMP and thyroid hormone (T3). Culture conditions that affected the response of cells to X-rays were identified. During the culture period, first and second passage cells were compared for differences in their radiosensitivities. In all cases, cells showed differences in their responses to radiation depending on the cell passage number. However, results of replicate experiments of first passage cells that were exposed to X-rays showed good agreement between experiments. This technique makes it possible to quantitate the effects of chemical and physical cytotoxic agents on proliferating human thyroid epithelial cells. (author)