Bi-Phasic Culture Strategies Based on Medium Formulation: Substitution of Glucose by Galactose in CHO Culture

Abstract

When most animal cell lines are cultured in bioreactors, they have consumption rates for glucose and glutamine very far above the rates strictly required to support the cellular growth, leading frequently to situations of exhaustion of the nutrients, accumulation of toxic compounds or imbalance of the medium, with the consequent initiation of cell death. Substitution of glucose and glutamine in CHO cell cultures has been previously studied (Altamirano et al., 2000). Specifically, it has been observed that the substitution by galactose and glutamate allows to achieve an acceptable cell growth, very low substrate consumption rates with a greater efficiency in their use and lower generation of toxic sub-products.