Abstract
The death rate of Vero cells grown on Cytodex-3 microcarrierswas studied as a function of the gas flow rate in a smallair-lift loop reactor. The death rate may be described byfirst-order death-rate kinetics. The first-order death-rateconstant as calculated from the decrease in viable cells, theincrease in dead cells and the increase in LDH activity islinear proportional to the gas flow rate, with a specifichypothetical killing volume in which all cells are killed ofabout 2.10-3m3 liquid per m3 of air bubbles.In addition, an experiment was conducted in the sameair-lift reactor with Vero cells grown inside porous Asahimicrocarriers. The specific hypothetical killing volumecalculated from this experiment has a value of 3.10-4m3 liquid per m3 of air bubbles, which shows thatthe porous microcarriers were at least in part able to protectthe cells against the detrimental hydrodynamic forcesgenerated by the bubbles.
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Martens, D., Nollen, E., Hardeveld, M. et al. Death rate in a small air-lift loop reactor of vero cells grown on solid microcarriers and in macroporous microcarriers. Cytotechnology 23, 61–75 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CYTO.0000010399.23373.65
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CYTO.0000010399.23373.65