Abstract: Objective To reproduce a scratch-wound model in cultured rat astrocytes (AST).Methods The secondary cultured AST prepared from newborn Wistar rat cerebral cortex were scratched with plastic pipette tips. The morphologic change of AST was observed through microscope at 10 min before and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after injury, meanwhile the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakages in the cultured medium were determined.Results Immediately after injury the edge of the scratch was lined with irregularly shaped cell. 6 h after injury the AST processes began extending to cell-free area, and elongated further at 12 and 24 h after injury, with presented of new generated cells in the denuded area. At different times after injury, the LDH leakages of the experiment group were higher than that before injury ( P<0.05), and were higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05).Conclusion According to observed AST morphologic changes and determined LDH leakages in culture medium, the scratch-wound model in cultured rat AST is successfully reproduced.

Key words: astrocyte, cell culture, scratch-wound model, lactate dehydrogenase