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Separation of Cells with Histochemically Demonstrable Acid Phosphatase Activity from Suspensions of Cells from Human Prostatic Carcinomas in an Isokinetic Gradient of Ficoll in Tissue Culture Medium¹

Departments of Pathology [S. R. H., T. G. P., T. M. M.], Engineering Biophysics [T. G. P.], and Surgery [A. J. B., K. L. L.], University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama 35294

This report describes the separation of cells exhibiting histochemically demonstrable acid phosphatase from suspensions of cells obtained from human prostatic carcinomas by velocity sedimentation. In the unseparated suspensions of cells, 40.5 ± 7.7% of nucleated cells contained histochemically evident acid phosphatase. After cells were separated by velocity sedimentation, 86.4 ± 9.4% of the nucleated cells in the purest fractions exhibited histochemically demonstrable acid phosphatase activity. More than 95% of these cells excluded trypan blue. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a method for the separation of viable epithelial cells from human prostatic carcinomas.

¹ Supported by USPHS Grants CA-15089 from the National Cancer Institute, CA-16764 from the National Cancer Institute through the National Large Bowel Cancer Project, CA-16430 from the National Cancer Institute through the National Prostatic Cancer Project, DE-2670 from the National Institute of Dental Research, and by American Cancer Society Grant DT-43A.

² Supported by NIH Research Career Development Award K4-CA-70584-03. Address reprint requests to Dr. Thomas G. Pretlow, II, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama in Birmingham, University Station, Birmingham, Ala. 35294.

Received 7/16/75. Accepted 11/ 4/75.