Primary Chicken Embryo Liver Cells in Culture

Primary cells are harvested directly from an organism and can be grown for several weeks in vitro in specialized cell culture medium before the cells undergo senescence. Primary cells are especially sensitive to chemicals, toxins, and viruses, and are often used for various research and industrial applications. 

This phase-contrast image shows primary chick embryo liver cells grown for 2 weeks in vitro. Note the liver cell nuclei (blue) and numerous cytoplasmic vacuoles containing glycogen.

Livers were harvested from 10-day-old embryonated chicken eggs. The liver was dissected from the embryo using aseptic technique, followed by tissue mincing, trypsinizing, and seeding into T25 tissue culture flasks. The cells were grown at 37^oC under 5% CO₂in hepatocyte basal medium (Cambrex Bio Science) for 2 weeks.