PHCbi-Panasonic eBook - 6

Cell Therapy Today * New Developments in Immunotherapy * Benefits of Oxygen Control in the Cell Culture Incubator

range generally resides between 20 and 21% O2
(160 mmHg), though most tissues do not experience oxygen levels at 20-21%.1

Table 1: Relative Oxygen from Ambient to Below Ambient

* In our lungs, oxygen levels are around 14.5% or
as low as 3.4-6.8% in peripheral tissues. Physiological oxygen (2-10%) is therefore considered
'hypoxic' in respect to atmospheric oxygen.

13.5%

* Most organs in the body, including the brain,
liver, and pancreas, reside between 2 and 10%
O2 while certain tissues, such as the thymus and
areas of the kidney, reside at oxygen concentrations lower than 1%.2
* Pathological tissue, like cancer, contains an
oxygen gradient in which inter-cellular oxygen
levels can reach below 1%.
* Hypoxic oxygen levels regulate a variety of important and normal pathological and physiological
processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation,
wound healing and fetal development. Additionally, oxygen levels dictate essential events in early
embryo development and stem cell niches.3
6

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Oxygen
21.0%
19.9%
9.5%
6.5%

Importance of Homeostasis in Cell Culture
Maintenance of a successful in vivo environment
within cell culture lies in the principal of properly
maintaining cellular homeostasis. Cells require a
delicate balance of temperature, pH, nutrients,
and ions through an intricate network of cellular
processes.4
In the early days of cell culture, scientists were able
to successfully grow mammalian cells in vitro by
exposing them to certain environmental elements
that contribute to homeostasis. Today, most
mammalian cells are maintained at CO2 levels
between 5-7% and supplied with a strict formulation of nutrients, pH buffers, and growth factors.

Description
Oxygen in air at normal atmospheric pressure
Oxygen in cell culture incubator operating at 5% CO2
Inspired oxygen pO2 in alveoli. O2 is affected by inflow
and outflow of gases and water vapor
Arterial blood oxygen concentration
Approximate pO2 at venous end or circulation

These components have led to significant
improvements in cell culture technology and
healthier cell proliferation. Yet oxygen levels that
are optimized for growth of specific cells are
often overlooked.
Atmospheric air is comprised of 21% oxygen,
78% nitrogen, and 1% trace gases. Once breathed
into the lungs, oxygen molecules are transported
by the hemoglobin molecules on red blood
cells through the bloodstream and carried to all
organs in the body.
When a cell culture incubator is configured to create
a typical 5% CO2 atmosphere, O2 levels are reduced
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