Separation of cells exhibiting acid phosphatase activity from disaggregated hamster prostate cells in an isokinetic gradient of Ficoll in tissue culture medium.

Cells exhibiting histochemically demonstrable acid phosphatase were separated from suspensions of hamster prostate cells with velocity and isopyknic sedimentation. Unseparated suspensions of hamster prostate cells contained 57.2 plus or minus 11.3% cells with histochemically apparent acid phosphatase. After the cells were separated by velocity sedimentation in a previously described isokinetic gradient, the purest fractions from the gradient contained 97.2 plus or minus 0.8% cells with histochemically evident acid phosphatase. More than 99% of these separated cells excluded trypan blue. These cells were thought to be the acinar cells of the prostate. Isopyknic sedimentation was not as effective as velocity sedimentation for the purification of these cells.