Comparative Evaluation of Culture Media for improved yield and viability of Primary Testicular Cell Lines from Ovine (Lamb) Tissue

Abstract

Primary cell culture is the ex vivo culture of cells freshly obtained from a multicellular organism, as opposed to the culture of immortalized cell lines. Tissue culture systems have become a convenient way of propagating viruses and studying the biology and pathogenicity of viruses. A suitable cell culture system is also required for the production of antigens for diagnostic development, as well as for the production of vaccines. Several viruses of members of Poxviridae family, including LSDV, could be well propagated in Lamb Testicle primary culture. Standardized protocols for efficient isolation and culture of lamb testicular cells are valuable tools in reproductive biology, virology, and livestock biotechnology. Since primary cell cultures are considered more representative of in vivo tissues than cell lines, this study aims to compare different basal media and supplementation strategies for the establishment of viable primary lamb testicular cell lines. Two commonly used laboratory media DMEM and MEM with Earle’s salt was used for the study. It was observed in the study that DMEM supplemented with 10 % FBS could be an efficient and suitable medium for the propagation of the LT primary culture. The standardized protocol may help in the establishment of LT primary culture in the laboratory, understanding viral dynamics in the host, and evolutionary studies.