Migration-based neural cell culture developed by cultivating hippocampal slices on coral skeleton matrix

Neural cell culture is a pivotal tool in neuroscience, enabling the study of neural growth and function. Yet, their survival in vitro is compromised, since their cultivation methods are complex, based on enzymatical and mechanical isolation, which force them to grow in strict environmental conditions. Therefore, it is important to identify novel cultivation procedures to increase cell durability. This study presents a novel method for cultivating neural cells, based on cell migration that is improved by using coral skeleton (CS) as a matrix. In this method the hippocampi of postnatal rat pups (0-3 days) were sliced and the slices were attached to glass coverslips, coated or uncoated with CS. Slice adhesion was higher on CS than on glass. Cell migration out of the slices was observed 2-days post-cultivation with several thousands of migrating cells after 7 days. Glial cells underwent higher activation on CS with enhanced GFAP expression than on glass. Staining for neurons and synaptic connections revealed existence of connectivity among migrating neurons. Hence, the migration-based cultivation method presents a novel approach for production of superior neural cell culture.