An improved explants culture method: Sustainable isolation of keloid fibroblasts with primary characteristics

Background Keloid (KD) is a complex fibroproliferative disease, but the exact mechanisms underlying keloid pathogenesis remain to be elucidated. The primary keloid fibroblasts (KFs) culture in vitro has always been a fundamental measure to study the pathogenesis of keloid. However, the traditional primary culture methods have some limitations, such as a long culture cycle, low specimen utilization rate and so on. Aims Improve the keloid explants culture method sts. Materials & Methods We proposed an improved new "explants multiple culture method"-reusing keloid explants for primary culture and harvesting the primary KFs in specific culture times. Meanwhile, the purity, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, extracellular matrix synthesis, and some fibrosis and inflammation-related proteins of KFs obtained from the first, fifth, and tenth explants cultures were detected. Results The results showed that the culture cycle of this new method (Cell Isolation: 2.67 +/- 0.86 days, Explants removal: 8.83 +/- 0.79 days, Cell Passage: 15.17 +/- 1.39 days) was significantly shorter than that of the traditional method (Cell Isolation: 8.67 +/- 1.84 days, Explants removal: 17.67 +/- 2.17 days, Cell Passage: 22.67 +/- 1.84 days). No significant difference was observed between the phenotypes of the fibroblasts obtained from the first explants culture and cultures less than 10 times (p > 0.05). Disscussion Taken together, this study provides an effective method for the primary culture of KFs with a higher specimen utilization rate and shorter culture cycle. Conclusion This method breaks through the limitation of traditional explants culture requiring a large number of keloid specimens and provides a rich source of KFs for the study of keloid.