Objective To develop new methods to cultivate

retrieve and purify oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs).  Methods Primary OPCs were isolated from mixed glial cultures of newborn Sprague Dawley rat forebrains by using a selective detachment procedure

further purified by differential adhesion

and maintained in a chemical conditioned medium. The characteristic of OPCs was determined by both electrophysiological recording and immunostaining.  Results Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that more than 90% of the isolated cells expressed the OPCs-specific marker NG

2

. OPCs exhibited a moderate input resistance

delayed rectifier K

+

currents (I

K

) that could be antagonized partly by TEA-Cl and CsCl

small tetr

odotoxin (TTX) sensitive Na

+

currents that failed to generate typical action potentials.  Conclusion Isolation and purification by selective detachment and differential adhesion procedure are effective to obtain highly purified OPCs. OPCs

distinct from neuron

astrocyte

oligodendrocyte or microglia

possess unique physiological properties.