Limitations of oxygen delivery to cells in culture: An underappreciated problem in basic and translational research

Trenton L Place; Frederick E Domann; Adam J Case

doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.10.003

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Limitations of oxygen delivery to cells in culture: An underappreciated problem in basic and translational research

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Limitations of oxygen delivery to cells in culture: An underappreciated problem in basic and translational research

Trenton L Place, Frederick E Domann and Adam J Case

Free radical biology & medicine, Vol.113, pp.311-322

12/2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.10.003

PMCID: PMC5699948

PMID: 29032224

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Abstract

Molecular oxygen is one of the most important variables in modern cell culture systems. Fluctuations in its concentration can affect cell growth, differentiation, signaling, and free radical production. In order to maintain culture viability, experimental validity, and reproducibility, it is imperative that oxygen levels be consistently maintained within physiological "normoxic" limits. Use of the term normoxia, however, is not consistent among scientists who experiment in cell culture. It is typically used to describe the atmospheric conditions of a standard incubator, not the true microenvironment to which the cells are exposed. This error may lead to the situation where cells grown in a standard "normoxic" oxygen concentration may actually be experiencing a wide range of conditions ranging from hyperoxia to near-anoxic conditions at the cellular level. This apparent paradox is created by oxygen's sluggish rate of diffusion through aqueous medium, and the generally underappreciated effects that cell density, media volume, and barometric pressure can have on pericellular oxygen concentration in a cell culture system. This review aims to provide an overview of this phenomenon we have termed "consumptive oxygen depletion" (COD), and includes a basic review of the physics, potential consequences, and alternative culture methods currently available to help circumvent this largely unrecognized problem.

Cell culture

Oxygen

Reactive oxygen species

Anoxia

Diffusion gradients

HIF

Diffusion constant

Carbon dioxide

Prolyl-hydroxylase

Metabolism

Nitrogen

Mitochondria

Oxidative phosphorylation

Hyperoxia

Cell lines

Glycolysis

Hypoxia-inducible factor

Hypoxia

Gasses

Respiration

Details

Title: Subtitle: Limitations of oxygen delivery to cells in culture: An underappreciated problem in basic and translational research
Creators: Trenton L Place - Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Frederick E Domann - Department of Radiation Oncology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Pathology Department of Pathology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Adam J Case - Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. Electronic address: adam.case@unmc.edu
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Free radical biology & medicine, Vol.113, pp.311-322
DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.10.003
PMID: 29032224
PMCID: PMC5699948
NLM abbreviation: Free Radic Biol Med
ISSN: 0891-5849
eISSN: 1873-4596
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R00 HL123471 / NHLBI NIH HHS P30 CA086862 / NCI NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/2017
Academic Unit: Pathology; Surgery; Radiation Oncology; Obstetrics and Gynecology
Record Identifier: 9984046800602771

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