Abstract: Objective To establish the primary culture of aldosterone- producing adenoma cells. Methods The tumor tissue was digested by collagen type I and cultured in complete DMEM/F12 medium. Aldosterone concentration in culture medium was detected by radioimmunoassay. The expression of aldosterone synthase in the culture cells was detected by immunofluorescence. Results Aldosterone-producing adenoma cells grew adherently in a round or approximately round shape. The cells were positively immunostained for aldosterone synthase. The aldosterone concentration in the culture medium in the 5th culture day was （300 ± 90） nmol/L. During the primary culture, aldosterone secretion was the strongest in the first day, and decreased afterwards. It kept stable in day 4 to 11. Conclusion We successfully established the primary culture of aldosterone-producing adenoma cells, which would be important for the future studying on the mechanism and function of aldosterone-producing adenoma.

Key words: aldosterone producing adenoma, primary culture, identification