An optimized protocol for culture of cardiomyocyte from neonatal rat

Primary culture of cardiomyocytes has been widely used as a valuable tool for pharmacological and toxicological studies. However, the fact that heart is a solid organ and cardiomyocytes do not proliferate after birth makes the primary myocardial culture a tedious job. The present study reports an improved method for rapid isolation of cardiomyocytes, as well as the culture maintenance and quality assurance. The whole culture process can be shortened to 3.5 h by reducing enzyme digestion period. Moreover, the new protocol guarantees cell yield and viability, and produces more than 95% cardiomyocytes in culture. The cardiomyocytes can respond to Angiotension II stimulation with increased protein synthesis, suggesting the practical value of this new culture method.