Spinal Cord Extraction: A Protocol to Isolate Murine Spinal Cord for In Vitro Studies

Abstract

Source: Na'ara, S. et al. In Vitro Modeling of Cancerous Neural Invasion: The Dorsal Root Ganglion Model. J. Vis. Exp. (2016)

In this video, we describe a step-by-step protocol to isolate spinal cord from a mouse model for in vitro studies.

Protocol

All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board.

1. Harvesting the Spinal Cord

1. Euthanize the mouse using a CO₂ chamber. Avoid cervical dislocation as it might cause damage to the ganglion roots due to shear forces. From here on, perform all steps under sterile conditions.
2. Soak the animal with 70% ethanol. This step is important for sterilization and for preventing the hair from dragging through the inner organs.
3. Leave the mouse to dry from ethanol. Prevent any contact of ethanol wit....

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Forceps	Sigma-Aldrich	F4142
Surgical blade	Sigma-Aldrich	Z309036
Scissors	Sigma-Aldrich	S3271
35 mm Petri dishes, glass bottom	de groot	60-627860
70% ethanol	Sigma
Cold PBS	Biological industries	02-023-1A