ENDOTHELIAL CELLS OF THE PULMONARY ARTERY IN VITRO: HOW TO OVERCOME THE DEFICIENCY OF A MODEL OBJECT IN THE STUDY OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION?

Highlights The endothelial cells of the pulmonary artery are a deficient model object. Our task was to work out the method of cell isolation from the Swan-Ganz catheter described in the literature. However, no cells were obtained using this technique. We have developed an alternative technique for isolating cells from blood obtained from the lumen of the pulmonary artery during right heart catheterization, and demonstrated the suitability of this technique for routine production of endothelial cell cultures from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Abstract Aim. Obtaining cultures of pulmonary artery endothelial cells as a model object. The endothelium ensures the integrity of the vascular wall, and disorders of endothelial function play an important role in the development of various pathological processes. Obtaining endothelial cell cultures from fragments of various human vessels is a fairly well–developed and widely used method. However, it has limitations that relate to the availability of biological material for certain groups of patients. Thus, when studying the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, fragments of the pulmonary artery are practically inaccessible to the researcher, since surgical intervention for this pathology is not a routine method of treatment. Methods. The cells were obtained from the balloon of the Swan-Ganz catheter in accordance with the descriptions in the literature, alternative tissue dissociators and different adhesive media were additionally tested. The isolation of cells from the blood from the lumen of the pulmonary artery and from the peripheral (cubital) vein was carried out by dividing the blood into fractions and washing the cells of interest according to the protocols described in the literature. Results. In this work, we tested the production of pulmonary artery endothelial cells in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension by removing cells from the balloon of the Swan-Ganz catheter during right heart catheterization. The catheter removal method has shown its unsuitability for use in routine laboratory practice. As an alternative, we have developed a method for obtaining endothelial cells from blood taken from the lumen of the pulmonary artery during catheterization. Conclusion. Isolation of endothelial cells from blood taken from the lumen of the pulmonary artery during right heart catheterization showed the suitability of this method for routine production of endothelial cell cultures from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.