Efficient Isolation of Mouse Liver NKT Cells by Perfusion

BACKGROUND: NKT cell is a population of unconventional T cells that mediate both innate and adaptive T cell responses. Since NKT cells are most abundant in the liver, much of NKT biology has been learnt from studies of NKT cells isolated from liver. This is a cumbersome procedure with variations in cell yield. RESULTS: Based on recent evidence that NKT cells reside in liver vascular compartment, we developed a simple method to isolate NKT cells by perfusion with PBS-containing 10 mM of EDTA. The number and cell surface phenotype of liver NKT cells recovered by perfusion and by the traditional method were comparable. The yield of other lymphocytes was also comparable. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data demonstrated that liver lymphocytes can be efficiently isolated by simple perfusion. These data provide a convenient method to isolate liver lymphocyte while preserving liver tissue for other analysis.