Isolation, primary culture, and morphological characterization of gland epithelium from forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii)

Research of epithelial cells in musk gland is lacking. There are no good characterized epithelial cell lines that can provide complementary in vitro models for in vivo research. We successfully cultivated epithelial cells of musk gland for the first time. The protocol described here produces epithelial cell lines from the mature secreting musk gland. Based on morphological observation, epithelial cells of musk gland were isolated and cultured in vitro. After the third passage, the musk gland-derived cells were filled with many lipid droplets and proliferated well. We used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to explore the chemical composition of lipid droplets in the musk gland-derived cells. The main components of secreted lipid droplet were alkanes, esters, amines, alcohols, ketones, organic acids, and aldehydes. Muscone, which is the main active compound of musk, was not found. This is a new attempt in the field of animal musk to obtain naturally secreted animal musk in vitro by cloning specialized cells. In conclusion, this study provides a reference at the cellular level to further analyze the biology and physiology of the musk gland epithelium and secretion mechanism of musk deer.