Harvesting murine peritoneal cells : a methodology for the untrained research worker

Purpose. Murine peritoneal cell harvest (lavage) traditionally has been used to provide a convenient source of large numbers of macrophages for general and functional studies. In this technique, a small volume of the chemotactic medium Brewer's thioglycollate broth (TG) is administered as a single intraperitoneal injection to induce an acute inflammatory response in the peritoneal cavity of mice (Fig. 1). This action recruits macrophages into the peritoneal cavity (1, 2) and elicits peritoneal exudative cells (mainly macrophages) for harvest.