Continuous perifusion of dispersed anterior pituitary cells: technical aspects.

Continuous perifusion of dispersed anterior pituitary cells is a powerful dynamic in vitro technique that complements the static incubation technique of primary culture. The major advantages of perifusion include the ability to challenge cells with test substance in a pulsatile manner and to monitor the immediate response. Furthermore, the accumulation of hormonal product and proteolytic enzymes, with their potential effects on cell function, is essentially eliminated as a concern. Finally, although methods using static techniques are available, experiments using continuously perifused dispersed cells can be initiated soon after removal of the gland from the donor animal. We and others have found this system to be useful in the study of hormone secretion by the anterior pituitary. We expect that the system will lend itself equally well to investigations of other cellular processes involving the export of organic and inorganic substances.