Isolation and establishment of skin-derived and mesenchymal cells from south American bat Artibeus planirostris (Chiroptera - Phyllostomidae)

Animal models represent a crucial tool for biological research, so the establishment of new cultures is fundamental for the discovery of new therapies and the understanding of mechanisms of cell development in the most diverse animals. Here, we report the successful establishment of two new primary cell cultures derived from a South American bat (Artibeus planirostris). The establishment of a new bat culture can help in the investigation of new zoonoses since bats have been proposed as carriers of these diseases. We evaluated the chromosomal stability of cells from different passages. Primary cultures were collected from ear tissues and bone marrow of A. planirostris. Cultures were expanded, and osteogenic and adipogenic inductions were conducted for 21 days. For osteogenic differentiation, the medium was supplemented with 0.1 mu M dexamethasone, 3 mM beta-glycerophosphate, and 10 mu M L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate. For adipogenic differentiation, the medium was supplemented with 5 mu M rosiglitazone, 0.4 mu M insulin, 0.1 mM indomethacin, and 0.1 mu M dexamethasone. After the induction period, the cells were stained with Alizarin Red to assess osteogenic differentiation and Oil Red O to assess adipogenic differentiation. We observed the appearance of lipid droplets in adipocytes and the extracellular deposition of calcium matrix by osteocytes, indicating that bone marrow-derived cells and skin-derived cells of A. planirostris could successfully differentiate into these lineages. Also, the number of chromosomes remained stable for both primary cultures during passages 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Automated summary

The study successfully established two new primary cell cultures derived from a South American bat, which could differentiate into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. The chromosomal stability of the cells during passages 2, 4, 6, and 8 was also confirmed, indicating the potential utility of these cultures in investigating zoonotic diseases.