Methods for the study of ionic currents and Ca²⁺-signals in isolated colonic crypts

• Main Authors: Schultheiss Gerhard, Lan Kocks Sarah, Diener Martin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2002-01-01
• Series: Biological Procedures Online
• Subjects: Electrophysiology; Epithelial Cells; Ion channels
• Online Access: http://www.biologicalprocedures.com/bpo/arts/1/25/m25.htm

<p>Isolated epithelial cells from intestinal mucosae are a suitable object for the study of the regulation of ion transport in the gut. This regulation possesses a great importance for human and veterinary medicine, as diarrheal diseases, which often are caused by an inadequate activation of intestinal anion secretion, are one of the major lethal diseases of children or young animals. The aim of this paper is to describe a method for the isolation of intact colonic crypts, e.g. for the subsequent investigation of the regulation of anion secretion by the intracellular second messenger, Ca²⁺ using electrophysiological and imaging techniques.