Simple propagation method for resident macrophages by co-culture and subculture, and their isolation from various organs

BACKGROUND: Resident macrophages (Mø) originating from yolk sac Mø and/or foetal monocytes colonise tissues/organs during embryonic development. They persist into adulthood by self-renewal at a steady state, independent of adult monocyte inputs, except for those in the intestines and dermis. Thus, many resident Mø can be propagated in vitro under optimal conditions; however, there are no specific in vitro culture methods available for the propagation of resident Mø from diverse tissues/organs. RESULTS: We provided a simple method for propagating resident Mø derived from the liver, spleen, lung, and brain of ICR male mice by co-culture and subculture along with the propagation of other stromal cells of the respective organs in standard culture media and successfully demonstrated the propagation of resident Mø colonising these organs. We also proposed a simple method for segregating Mø from stromal cells according to their adhesive property on bacteriological Petri dishes, which enabled the collection of more than 97.6% of the resident Mø from each organ. Expression analyses of conventional Mø markers by flow cytometry showed similar expression patterns among the Mø collected from the organs. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to clearly provide a practical Mø propagation method applicable to resident Mø of diverse tissues and organs. Thus, this novel practical Mø propagation method can offer broad applications for the use of resident Mø of diverse tissues and organs.