A simple method for the removal of contaminating fibroblasts from cultures of rat mammary epithelial cells.

A simple method of removing fibroblasts from cultured mammary epithelial cells is described. Primary cultures of both fibroblasts and epithelial cells have been prepared from rat mammary tissue dissociated with collagenase and hyaluronidase. Fibroblasts present as contaminants in the epithelial cell cultures have been selectively removed by incubating cultures at 37 degrees C in Hanks' balanced salt solution that contained antibiotics (100 micrograms/ml) and fungizone (5 micrograms/ml, a treatment which does not appear to decrease cell viability.