Growth of purified astrocytes in a chemically defined medium.

Abstract
Astrocytes purified from primary cultures of neonatal rat cerebrum can be grown in a synthetic medium supplemented with putrescine, prostaglandin F2.alpha., insulin, fibroblast growth factor and hydrocortisone. These 5 supplements have a marked synergistic effect on growth when used in combination but have little effect when used individually. Astrocytes grown in the defined medium exhibit dramatic changes in morphological characteristics in comparison to cells grown in serum-free or serum-supplemented medium. These cells express the astrocyte-specific marker glial fibrillary acidic protein and are estimated by several criteria to be > 95% astrocytes.