Worthington Tissue Dissociation Guide

Methods and Materials: Trituration

(Cell dispersion through mild pumping action)

This can be a crucial procedure. It serves to break up the tissue fragments following incubation in the dissociation mix. If done too vigorously, cells will be destroyed lowering viability; too weakly and tissue fragments will be left intact lowering yield. Gentle trituration, using a 10 ml pipette, constitutes filling and emptying the barrel at a rate of about 3.0 ml per sec. You can best determine a suitable rate for your tissue through trial and error. Avoid bubbling the cell suspension.

Next: Enzymatic Cell Harvesting

Tissue Tables (references, grouped by tissue type and species)

Adipose/Fat Adrenal Bone Brain
Cartilage Colon Endothelial Epithelial
Eye Heart Intestine Kidney
Liver Lung Lymph nodes Mammary
Miscellaneous Muscle Neural Pancreas
Parotid Pituitary Prostate Reproductive
Scales Skin Spleen Stem
Thymus Thyroid/Parathyroid Tonsil Tumor

Note: We have not limited the references listed to only those papers using Worthington enzymes. Generally speaking, the tissue dissociation enzymes offered by Worthington can be used interchangeably for most preparations cited.