The author carried out tissue culture of synovial tissue from the knee joint of normal adult rabbit with the following results :
1) Five nutrient media were used, out of which, a medium, consisted of horse serum 60% and Gey's solution 40%, gave the best rate of proliferation. With decrease of horse serum in synthetic medium, the rate of proliferation and numbers of polygonal and round cells tended to decrease, while spindle-shaped cells tended to increase.
2) In a period between the 3rd and 5th day of culture, remarkable difference in the rate of proliferation was observed between synovial and subsynovial tissue, the latter being greatly delayed. From the 5th to 6the day, however, the rate of proliferation in the latter markedly increased. This is considered to suggest the metaplasia of subsynovial cells into synovial cells.
3) Synovial tissue secured from different parts of the same joint did not show any remarkable difference in the rate of proliferation and proportion of various kinds of cell in tissue culture.
4) Synovial cells were grown on a medium consisting of a limited number of chemically defined compounds, supplemented witd 5% of dialyzed horse serum. On such a medium, thirteen amino acid proved to be essential for growth (Arginine, Cystine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phneylalanine, Serine, Threonine, Tyrptophan, Tyrosine, and Valine), and six proved nonessential (Alanine, Asparaginic acid, Cysteine, Glutamic acid, Glycine, and Proline).
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