Szövetkultúrák

Szövetkultúrák is the Hungarian term for tissue culture. Tissue culture is a technique used in biology and botany to grow cells, tissues, or organs outside of their natural environment, typically in a sterile laboratory setting. This involves providing a suitable nutrient medium, controlled temperature, and appropriate light conditions for the cultured material to survive and grow. The primary applications of tissue culture include propagation of plants, research into cell biology, development of new plant varieties, and production of medicinal compounds.

In plant tissue culture, small pieces of plant tissue, known as explants, are taken from a parent plant and placed on an agar-based medium containing sugars, vitamins, hormones, and minerals. This medium provides the necessary nutrients for the explant to proliferate and form a callus, which is an undifferentiated mass of cells. From the callus, plantlets can be regenerated through careful manipulation of hormone concentrations. This method allows for rapid multiplication of plants, especially those that are difficult to propagate by conventional means, and ensures disease-free stock.

In animal tissue culture, cells or tissues are removed from an animal and maintained in a culture medium. This technique is crucial for studying cellular processes, testing the effects of drugs, and developing therapeutic strategies. For example, fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and stem cells can all be cultured in vitro. The controlled environment of tissue culture allows researchers to isolate and study specific cell types or observe their interactions in a way that is often not possible in a living organism. The sterility of the culture environment is paramount to prevent contamination by microorganisms that could outcompete or kill the cultured cells.