Dissociation of the Submucosal Nasal Gland of the Nasal Septum in Guinea Pigs

A dissociation procedure for acinar cells of the nasal gland in the guinea pig has been developed. Under a whole mount of the nasal septum, the majority of nasal glands was distributed in the infraanterior area of the olfactory region and in the posterior area of the respiratory region. This technique employs meticulous and selective dissection with minimal contamination of epithelial cells and enzymatic treatment with collagenase. The dissociated cells were confirmed to be serous gland acini by negative stain with alcian blue and a relatively high electron density of secretory granules. More than 90% of acini were viable as judged by trypan blue exclusion. Ultrastructual integrity of the cell was well maintained following the dissociation procedure.