Hepatopancreas cell cultures from mud crab, Scylla paramamosain.

Hepatopancreas is an important digestive and endocrine organ in crustacean. However, there are few reports on cell cultures from crabs. Here, the cell cultures of hepatopancreas from Scylla paramamosain was studied in vitro. Both the primary cell culture and subculture were grown in Leibovitz' L-15 medium, M199 medium, or a specially designed medium for S. paramamosain (MSP). The results showed that hepatopancreas cells in vitro grew in compact clusters in 2-3 d. Four types of cells could be identified. They were embryo cells, fibrillar cells, resorptive cells, and blister-like cells, respectively. Some of these cells could be subcultured for three generations. The MSP supported the best survival of these hepatopancreas cells, while M199 medium was the least effective of these three media. Fetal bovine serum and crab muscle extracts as supplements stimulated growth, but the crab hemolymph inhibited cell growth. Taken together, MSP is an appropriate medium for hepatopancreas cell cultures from S. paramamosain and can support cultures through several passages.