Taurine content of isolated rat alveolar type I cells

1.1. Rat alveolar type I cells were isolated by enzymatic digestion and purified by centrifugal elutriation and specific surface adsorption.2.2. The identity of the harvested cells was confirmed using electronic cell sizing and transmission electron microscopy.3.3. Purified cell preparations contained 4.6 ± 2.3 × 106 type I cells/rat lung with a purity of 79 ± 3%.4.4. Isolated type I cells exhibited the following characteristics: mean cell volume = 716 ± 48 μm3; diameter = 11.1 ± 0.7 μm; and cell water content = 0.50 ± 0.03 μl/106 cells.5.5. Taurine content of these alveolar type I cells was measured by HPLC.6.6. The intracellular taurine concentration of type I cells was 0.14 ± 0.07 mM, a value close to that of plasma (0.1 mM).