Does hippocampal or cortical cell viability depend on the method of dissociation? Do you prefer mechanical or enzymatic dissociation?
Yes, higher viable yield is obtained with papain (see J Neurosci Meth 71:143) but digestion of surface proteins is inevitable. For short term (less than 4 days) this is a concern. For longer term, it probably is not significant. The higher viability is obtained with a fire polished 9 inch glass pipet, lower with a blue plastic pipet tip.
