Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture
Cells can be cultured to very high densities in hollow alginate tubes (5−10×108cells/mL), with the provisothat their nutrient and oxygen needs are met. After the tubes have been extruded, they are suspended in growth medium. Nutrients and metabolic products pass readily through the alginate tube wal...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Biomedical Engineering Advances |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667099224000021 |
| _version_ | 1827225782541352960 |
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| author | Jack Rauch Emily Francis Hendrik Viljoen |
| author_facet | Jack Rauch Emily Francis Hendrik Viljoen |
| author_sort | Jack Rauch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cells can be cultured to very high densities in hollow alginate tubes (5−10×108cells/mL), with the provisothat their nutrient and oxygen needs are met. After the tubes have been extruded, they are suspended in growth medium. Nutrients and metabolic products pass readily through the alginate tube walls and the cells grow from small aggregates until they fill the hollow space in the tube. A mathematical model is presented of nutrient and oxygen transport between the bulk phase and the tubes. Our main result is a necessary condition for growing cells to confluency. It sets an upper limit on the inner tube diameter. This limit depends on the alginate wall thickness, transport properties and consumption rates. Experimental results are reported for l-Wnt-3a cells, which have been expanded in tubes with inner diameters of 400,500,600and 700μm. For our experimental set-up, glucose was the limiting nutrient. Cells reached confluency in 400and500μm tubes at bulk glucose concentrations of 20mM. When the bulk glucose concentration was increased to 25, 30 and 35 mM, confluency was reached in 600μm tubes for all three cases. Confluency was not achieved in tubes with inner diameters of 700 um, even at the elevated glucose concentrations, suggesting that the dissolved oxygen concentration has become the limiting factor. These results match the model predictions well and confirms that the model can be used to select tube dimensions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:27:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38a4aeb5b2de452d8c5846d42aacc050 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-0992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-21T17:31:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedical Engineering Advances |
| spelling | doaj.art-38a4aeb5b2de452d8c5846d42aacc0502024-06-13T04:46:09ZengElsevierBiomedical Engineering Advances2667-09922024-06-017100113Optimizing alginate tubes for cell cultureJack Rauch0Emily Francis1Hendrik Viljoen2Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, United States; CellGro Technologies, LLC, 5901 S. 58th Street, Lincoln, NE 68516, United StatesCellGro Technologies, LLC, 5901 S. 58th Street, Lincoln, NE 68516, United StatesDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, United States; CellGro Technologies, LLC, 5901 S. 58th Street, Lincoln, NE 68516, United States; Corresponding author at: CellGro Technologies, LLC, 5901 S. 58th Street, Lincoln, NE 68516, United States.Cells can be cultured to very high densities in hollow alginate tubes (5−10×108cells/mL), with the provisothat their nutrient and oxygen needs are met. After the tubes have been extruded, they are suspended in growth medium. Nutrients and metabolic products pass readily through the alginate tube walls and the cells grow from small aggregates until they fill the hollow space in the tube. A mathematical model is presented of nutrient and oxygen transport between the bulk phase and the tubes. Our main result is a necessary condition for growing cells to confluency. It sets an upper limit on the inner tube diameter. This limit depends on the alginate wall thickness, transport properties and consumption rates. Experimental results are reported for l-Wnt-3a cells, which have been expanded in tubes with inner diameters of 400,500,600and 700μm. For our experimental set-up, glucose was the limiting nutrient. Cells reached confluency in 400and500μm tubes at bulk glucose concentrations of 20mM. When the bulk glucose concentration was increased to 25, 30 and 35 mM, confluency was reached in 600μm tubes for all three cases. Confluency was not achieved in tubes with inner diameters of 700 um, even at the elevated glucose concentrations, suggesting that the dissolved oxygen concentration has become the limiting factor. These results match the model predictions well and confirms that the model can be used to select tube dimensions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667099224000021Hollow alginate tubesCell cultureOptimum diameter |
| spellingShingle | Jack Rauch Emily Francis Hendrik Viljoen Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture Biomedical Engineering Advances Hollow alginate tubes Cell culture Optimum diameter |
| title | Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| title_full | Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| title_short | Optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| title_sort | optimizing alginate tubes for cell culture |
| topic | Hollow alginate tubes Cell culture Optimum diameter |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667099224000021 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jackrauch optimizingalginatetubesforcellculture AT emilyfrancis optimizingalginatetubesforcellculture AT hendrikviljoen optimizingalginatetubesforcellculture |