Development of a cell culture system from the ovarian tissue of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

A growth medium with Leibovitz-15 (L-15) as the base, supplemented with foetal bovine serum (10% v/v), fish muscle extract (10% v/v), prawn muscle extract (10% v/v), lectin (concanavalin A) (0.02 mug ml(-1)), lipopolysaccharide (0.02 Ctg ml(-1)), glucose D (0.2 mg ml(-1)), ovary extract (0.5% v/v) and prawn haemolymph (0.5%) has been formulated with 354 +/- 10 mOsm for the development and maintenance of a cell culture system from the ovarian tissue of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. For its subculturing, a cell dissociation/extracting solution, composed of equal portions of trypsin phosphate versene glucose (TPVG) (containing 0.0125% (w/v) trypsin and 25% (v/v) non-enzymatic cell dissociation solution 1 and 2, has also been developed with which the cell culture can be passaged 15 times after which they cease to multiply and consequently perish. The cell cultures can be maintained for 12-15 days without fluid change between the passages. This is the first report of a cell culture system from the ovarian tissues of African catfish. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.