Use of vascular smooth-muscle single cell suspensions for rapid cell number determination in rat thoracic aorta media layer

Previously existing methods for the digestion of rat thoracic aorta media layers with elastase and collagenase were shortened, simplified and adapted to the digestion of media layers from rats of various ages. This single cell suspension could be used for the rapid determination of the number of myocytes in the media layer at different stages of the development of the rat. There was a 4-fold increase in cell number between 3 and 7 weeks of age. The cell number did not vary further between 7 and 18 weeks of age.