Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Bioreactors”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Development of a membrane dialysis bioreactor and its application to a large-scale culture of a symbiotic bacterium, Symbiobacterium thermophilum.

A simple membrane dialysis bioreactor was developed for a large-scale axenic culture of Symbiobacterium thermophilum, a symbiotic thermophile that requires co-cultivation with an associating thermophilic Bacillus strain S for normal growth. The bioreactor consisted of an outer- and an inner-coaxial cylindrical compartment bordered across a dialyzing membrane, which enabled a 1 l-scale dialysis culture with exchange of low molecular metabolites between the two compartments to be performed. Using the bioreactor, growth characteristics of S. thermophilum and Bacillus strain S were assessed under two medium conditions. The growth of S. thermophilum was measured by quantitative PCR because the bacterium formed no visible colonies and gave abnormally low turbidity. In medium containing 2% tryptone peptone, S. thermophilum proliferated up to 4x10(7) cells/ml, and strict dependence on the co-culture with Bacillus strain S was observed. On the other hand, medium containing 0.5% yeast extract not only facilitated the growth of S. thermophilum in the co-culture (6x10(7) cells/ml), but also allowed limited pure growth independent of Bacillus strain S (1x10(7) cells/ml), implying that some component of yeast extract can partially replace the growth requirement of S. thermophilum supplied by Bacillus strain S. Both the oxidative redox potential values and the cell morphology in the independently growing culture suggested the occurrence of marked unbalanced growth possibly caused by significant metabolic changes. The bioreactor is applicable to the analyses of culturing characteristics in symbiotic systems between free-living microorganisms.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2000

Polymer production by two newly isolated extremely halophilic archaea: application of a novel corrosion-resistant bioreactor.

A novel corrosion-resistant bioreactor composed of polyetherether ketone (PEEK), tech glass and silicium nitrite ceramics was constructed and applied for the cultivation of two newly isolated, extremely halophilic archaea producing poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (PGA), or poly(beta-hydroxy butyric acid) (PHB), respectively. These bacteria were isolated from hypersaline soil close to Aswan (Egypt). The isolate strain 40, which is related to the genus Natrialba, produced large amounts of PGA when cultivated on solid medium. Culture conditions were optimised applying the corrosion-resistant bioreactor. PGA production was dependent on NaCl concentration and occurred about at 20% (w/v) NaCl in the medium. A maximum cell density of about 1.6 g cell dry matter/l was obtained when the bioreactor was stirred and aerated in a batch fermentation process using proteose-peptone medium. The supernatant was monitored with respect to PGA formation, and after 90 h a maximum of 470 mg/l culture volume was detected by HPLC analysis. Culture conditions were optimized for the isolate 56, which accumulated PHB as intracellular granules. Batch fermentations in the stirred and aerated bioreactor applying acetate and n-butyric acid as carbon sources led to cell density of 2.28 g cell dry matter/l and a maximum PHB accumulation contributing to about 53% of cellular dry weight. About 4.6 g PHB were isolated from 10.6 g dried cells of strain 56, which exhibited a weight average molar mass of 2.3 x 10(5) g mol(-1) and a polydispersity of about 1.4.

Archaea↗
PubMed2002

Statistical media optimization and production of ITS alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae in a bioreactor.

The production of an intermediate temperature-stable (ITS) alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae was studied by using a central composite design with three independent variables, viz., starch, yeast extract, and K(2)HPO(4). The model equation provided a suitable model for the response surface for alpha-amylase production, and, from the optimal concentrations of the medium components, a model was predicted, which was then used for enzyme production in a 150-L bioreactor. In the bioreactor studies, the enzyme yields (161 U/ml) were similar to that of the shake flask (133 U/ml); however, the time required for maximum alpha-amylase production in the bioreactor was reduced to 48 h compared with 120 h in shake flask cultures. An increased level of phosphate in the medium and low inoculum size were necessary to control the excessive foaming in the bioreactor; however, control of the pO(2) level and agitation was not mandatory for enzyme production. The peak enzyme production coincided with the increase in pH of the fermentation broth and was maximal when the pH of the system was above 7.5. Thus, in the present study, pH acted as an indicator of the initiation or end of the enzyme synthesis or of the fermentation cycle.

Aspergillus oryzae↗
PubMed2005

Endothelial cell-smooth muscle cell co-culture in a perfusion bioreactor system.

Vascular endothelial cells (EC) are exposed to a complex biomechanical environment in vivo and are responsible for relaying important messages to the underlying tissue. EC and smooth muscle cells (SMC) communicate to regulate vascular development and function. In this work, a vascular perfusion bioreactor is used to grow tubular constructs seeded with EC and SMC under pulsatile shear stress in long-term co-culture to study the effects of EC on SMC function. SMC seeded into porous poly(glycolic acid) tubular scaffolds are cultured in the bioreactor for 25 days. Constructs are seeded with EC on day 10 or day 23 creating 2-day (short-term) or 15-day (long-term) EC and SMC co-cultures. Long-term EC-SMC co-culture significantly increases cell proliferation and downregulates collagen and proteoglycan deposition compared to short-term co-culture. After 25 days of culture, 15-day co-culture constructs have a more uniform cell distribution across the construct thickness and SMC express a more contractile phenotype compared to 2-day co-culture constructs. These data demonstrate strong interactions between SMC and EC in the bioreactor under physiologically relevant conditions. Thus, the vascular construct perfusion bioreactor is an important tool to investigate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions in vascular cell biology and tissue engineering.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Rheology and shear stress of Centaurea calcitrapa cell suspension cultures grown in bioreactor.

Centaurea calcitrapa suspension cultures were grown either in Erlenmeyer flasks or in a mechanically stirred bioreactor. Its rheological behaviour, when fitted to the Oswald-de Waele model (power law), showed pseudoplastic characteristics in both cases. The flow behaviour index (n) decreased over the course of a growth cycle and the consistency index (K) increased, reached a value of 1.81 N sn m(-2 )run on 2 l bioreactor. Bioreactor cultivation of C. calcitrapa cells at different agitation rates (30, 60, 100 and 250 rpm), highlighted the influence of shear forces on cell viability loss (90-34%) and phenol accumulation (74-140 microg l(-1)), due to increased stirring speeds. Analysis of these results suggests that this cell line is shear-sensitive. An empirical exponential correlation was defined between apparent viscosity and biomass concentration, under the studied conditions, giving the possibility to estimate the prevailing broth regime and to optimize bioreactor design.

Biomass↗
PubMed2006

Bioreactors for tissue engineering.

Bioreactors are essential in tissue engineering, not only because they provide an in vitro environment mimicking in vivo conditions for the growth of tissue substitutes, but also because they enable systematic studies of the responses of living tissues to various mechanical and biochemical cues. The basic principles of bioreactor design are reviewed, the bioreactors commonly used for the tissue engineering of cartilage, bone and cardiovascular systems are assessed in terms of their performance and usefulness. Several novel bioreactor types are also reviewed.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Control of pellet morphology of filamentous fungi in fluidized bed bioreactors by means of a pulsing flow. Application to Aspergillus niger and Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

The application of a pulsing flow to fluidized-bed bioreactors in order to control pellet morphology of filamentous fungi was investigated. The operation at an optimum pulsation frequency allowed two effects: a narrower pellet size distribution which improves fluidization quality, and an enhanced production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger and manganese peroxidase by Phanerochaete chrysosporium. In the case of A. niger, the pellet diameter corresponding to the pulsed system operated at 0.35 s-1 was kept between 3.3 +/- 0.1 mm after 22 days of operation; however, in the nonpulsed bioreactor which was operative for only 11 days, pellets with a diameter of 6.7 +/- 0.3 mm were produced. Similar results were obtained in the case of P. chrysosporium, since with a pulsing frequency of 0.0625 s-1, a pellet diameter of 2.1 +/- 0.4 mm after 34 days of operation was maintained. On the contrary, the system without pulsation presented great conglomerates of mycelia with an average diameter of 3 cm surrounded by free pellets with a diameter distribution of 2.75 +/- 0.5 mm. The nonpulsed bioreactor was only operative for 14 days. Both citric acid and manganese peroxidase production attained higher values and were maintained longer in the pulsed bioreactor.

Aspergillus niger↗
PubMed2005

Tissue engineering of human cartilage and osteochondral composites using recirculation bioreactors.

Chondrocytes isolated from human foetal epiphyseal cartilage were seeded dynamically into polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds and cultured in recirculation column bioreactors to produce tissue-engineered cartilage. Several culture techniques with the potential to provide endogenous growth factors and other conditions beneficial for de novo cartilage synthesis were investigated. Osteochondral composite constructs were generated by seeding separate PGA scaffolds with either foetal chondrocytes or foetal osteoblasts then suturing the scaffolds together before bioreactor cultivation. This type of co-culture system provided direct contact between the tissue-engineered cartilage and developing tissue-engineered bone and yielded significant improvements in cartilage quality. In the cartilage section of the composites, the concentrations of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and total collagen were increased by 55% and 2.5-fold, respectively, compared with control cartilage cultures, while levels of collagen type II were similar to those in the controls. The osteochondral composites were harvested from the bioreactors as single units with good integration between the cartilage and bone tissues. Only the cartilage layer contained GAG while only the bone layer was mineralised. In other experiments, co-culture of tissue-engineered cartilage with pieces of ex-vivo cartilage or ex-vivo bone did not improve the quality of the cartilage relative to control cultures. Addition of 10(-6) M diacerein to the culture medium also had no effect on the properties of engineered cartilage. This work demonstrates the beneficial effects of generating cartilage tissues in contact with developing bone. It also demonstrates the feasibility of producing composite osteochondral constructs for clinical application using recirculation column bioreactors.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2005

A perfusion bioreactor system capable of producing clinically relevant volumes of tissue-engineered bone: in vivo bone formation showing proof of concept.

In an effort to produce clinically relevant volumes of tissue-engineered bone products, we report a direct perfusion bioreactor system. Goat bone marrow stromal cells (GBMSCs) were dynamically seeded and proliferated in this system in relevant volumes (10 cc) of small sized macroporous biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds (BCP, 2-6 mm). Cell load and cell distribution were shown using methylene blue block staining and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) staining was used to demonstrate viability of the present cells. After 19 days of cultivation, the scaffolds were covered with a viable, homogeneous cell layer. The hybrid structures became interconnected and a dense layer of extracellular matrix was present as visualized by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). ESEM images showed within the extracellular matrix sphere like structures which were identified as calcium phosphate nodules by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). On line oxygen measurements during cultivation were correlated with proliferating GBMSCs. It was shown that the oxygen consumption can be used to estimate GBMSC population doubling times during growth in this bioreactor system. Implantation of hybrid constructs, which were proliferated dynamically, showed bone formation in nude mice after 6 weeks of implantation. On the basis of our results we conclude that a direct perfusion bioreactor system is capable of producing clinically relevant volumes of tissue-engineered bone in a bioreactor system which can be monitored on line during cultivation and show bone formation after implantation in nude mice.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Photoautotrophic high-density cultivation of vegetative cells of Haematococcus pluvialis in airlift bioreactor.

This work aimed to investigate the effects of the bioreactor configurations and their design variables on the cultivation of vegetative cells Haematococcus pluvialis to achieve sustainable high cell density. The addition of vitamin B to F1 growth medium could appreciably enhance the final cell density. Employing this medium, the cultivation in the airlift bioreactor was demonstrated to outperform the bubble column at the same operating conditions. Aeration was crucial for a proper growth of the alga in the airlift bioreactor, but it must be maintained at low level to minimize shear stress. The most appropriate aeration velocity (superficial velocity) was at the lower limit of the pump, i.e. 0.4 cm s(-1) and a smaller riser was shown to have positive influence on the cell growth. A 1% CO(2) supplement to the air supply considerably enhanced the growth rate of H. pluvialis and the most suitable light intensity for the growth was at 20 micromol photon m(-2) s(-1). The semi-continuous culture was successfully implemented with the optimal airlift bioreactor design and under optimal conditions the harvest could be performed every four days with the specific growth rate of 0.31 d(-1).

Air↗
PubMed2006

Presence and activity of anammox and denitrification process in low ammonium-fed bioreactors.

A combination of anammox and denitrification process was studied for 300 days in low ammonium-fed bioreactors under the support of organic carbon. Nutrient profiles, (15)N-labelling techniques and qualitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes were used to confirm the nitrogen removal pathways and intercompetition among different bacteria populations. About 80% of nitrogen removal was achieved throughout the study period. The results confirmed that anammox bacteria were absent in the bioreactor inoculated with anaerobic granules only but they were present and active in the central anoxic parts of biopellets in the bioreactor inoculated with mixed microbial consortium from activated sludge and anaerobic granules. It also showed that the anammox bacteria were successfully enriched in the low ammonium-fed bioreactors. Results of this study clearly demonstrated that anammox and denitrification processes could coexist in same environment and anammox bacteria were less competitive than denitrifying bacteria.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed2006

The effect of sulfide on alpha-glucosidases: implications for starch degradation in anaerobic bioreactors.

Membrane associated alpha-glucosidase activity was investigated in a methanogenic bioreactor (MR) and a biosulfidogenic bioreactor (SR). Temperature and pH optima studies showed temperature optima of 50 degrees C and pH optima of 8.0 for the alpha-glucosidases from both the MR and SR. Sulfide (at a concentration of 150 mg l(-1)) resulted in the complete loss of all alpha-glucosidase activity in both the MR and SR. beta-Glucosidase activities in our bioreactors were previously shown to be stimulated in the presence of sulfide. alpha-Glucosidases, in contrast, are inhibited by sulfide. This differential effect of sulfide on alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase activities is highlighted and is of crucial consequence to the respective degradation and utilization of starch and cellulose substrates in natural anaerobic environments and anaerobic bioreactors specifically designed for the accelerated digestion of wastewater sludge under biosulfidogenic conditions.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed2004

Neural stem cell differentiation in a cell-collagen-bioreactor culture system.

Neural stem cells and neural progenitors (NSCs/NPs) are capable of self-renewal and can give rise to both neurons and glia. Such cells have been isolated from the embryonic brain and immobilized in three dimensional collagen gels. The collagen-entrapped NSCs/NPs recapitulate CNS stem cell development and form functional synapses and neuronal circuits. However, the cell-collagen constructs from static conditions contain hypoxic, necrotic cores and the cells are short-lived. In the present study, NSCs/NPs isolated from embryonic day 13 rat cortical neuroepithelium are immobilized in type I collagen gels and cultured in NASA-designed rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactors for up to 9 weeks. Initially, during the first 2 weeks of culture, a lag phase of cellular growth and differentiation is observed in the RWV bioreactors. Accelerated growth and differentiation, with the cells beginning to form large aggregates (approximately 1 mm in diameter) without death cores, begins during the third week. The collagen-entrapped NSCs/NPs cultured in RWV show active neuronal generation followed by astrocyte production. After 6 weeks in rotary culture, the cell-collagen constructs contain over 10 fold greater nestin+ and GFAP+ cells and two-fold more TuJ1 gene expression than those found in static cultures. In addition, TuJ1+ neurons in RWV culture give rise to extensive neurite outgrowth and considerably more synapsin I+ pre-synaptic puncta surrounding MAP2+ cell bodies and dendrites. These results strongly suggest that the cell-collagen-bioreactor culture system supports long-term NSC/NP growth and differentiation, and RWV bioreactors can be useful in generating neural tissue like constructs, which may have the potential for cell replacement therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Use of glucose consumption rate (GCR) as a tool to monitor and control animal cell production processes in packed-bed bioreactors.

For animal cell cultures growing in packed-bed bioreactors where cell number cannot be determined directly, there is a clear need to use indirect methods that are not based on cell counts in order to monitor and control the process. One option is to use the glucose consumption rate (GCR) of the culture as an indirect measure to monitor the process in bioreactors. This study was done on a packed-bed bioreactor process using recombinant CHO cells cultured on Fibra-Cel disk carriers in perfusion mode at high cell densities. A key step in the process is the switch of the process from the cell growth phase to the production phase triggered by a reduction of the temperature. In this system, we have used a GCR value of 300 g of glucose per kilogram of disks per day as a criterion for the switch. This paper will present results obtained in routine operations for the monitoring and control of an industrial process at pilot-scale. The process operated with this GCR-based strategy yielded consistent, reproducible process performance across numerous bioreactor runs performed on multiple production sites.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Treatment of sewage using an aged-refuse-based bioreactor.

The refuse in landfills becomes stabilized or aged after years of placement, and the resultant partly or fully stabilized refuse thus obtained is referred to as "aged refuse" in this work. The aged refuse contains a wide spectrum and large quantity of microorganisms, which have been proved to have a strong decomposition capability for both biodegradable and refractory organic matter present in some wastewaters. In this study, the aged refuse excavated from a 10-year old closed landfill compartment at Shanghai Refuse Landfill was used as the substrate in a bioreactor for the biofiltration of sewage taken from the sewage pipeline systems in Shanghai downtown areas. Typically, 120kg of screened aged refuse with a diameter less than 15mm was used as biofiltration material in a round shaped bioreactor with an inner diameter of 80cm and a height of 150cm. Influent sewage with initial COD, BOD, and NH(3)-N concentrations of 400-500, 240-300, and 45-50mg/L, respectively, was introduced into the bioreactor. The corresponding concentrations in the effluent were reduced to below 80-100, 10-20, and 10-15mg/L, respectively, at a hydraulic load of 1000-1200L/m(3) refuse/day, and the treatment efficiencies decreased with increased hydraulic load. The treatment mechanism was also studied. It was found that the pollutant removal efficiencies dramatically decreased when the aged refuse in the bioreactor was preliminarily disinfected using NaClO solutions, indicating that the pollutants in the sewage were biologically removed. The treatment process developed in this work is cost-effective.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed2006

Bacterial communities in industrial wastewater bioreactors.

Wastewater bioreactors have been used to treat domestic and industrial waste for nearly a century. Development of molecular tools such as PCR and DNA microarrays have enabled identification and characterization of some of the microbes in these bioreactors; however, molecular characterization of the microbes is still in its infancy, and only a few of the molecular tools have been applied to improving performance of wastewater bioreactors at the commercial level. Several new plasmids and enzymes have been isolated from wastewater bioreactors. There is enormous opportunity to use the microbes from wastewater for industrial bioprocesses.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2006

Production of a recombinantly expressed laminin fragment by HEK293-EBNA cells cultured in suspension in a dialysis-based bioreactor.

Laminin 5 is a multifunctional extracellular matrix protein, which supports epithelial cell adhesion through multiple cell binding sites. For elaborate studies, a 35 kDa fragment localized at the C-terminal extremity of the molecule, the LG4/5 fragment was recombinantly expressed in mammalian HEK293-EBNA cells. As the production of the LG4/5 fragment by adherent cell monolayers was very low (<1 microg/ml), we used the commercially available small scale bioreactor system miniPERM. The HEK293-EBNA transfectants were adapted to grow in suspension in defined medium containing low level of fetal calf serum and produced the recombinant LG4/5 protein with quality consistent with that produced in conventional static cell culture conditions. Cells grew without forming aggregates in the bioreactor and the resulting HEK293-EBNA-LG4/5 cell line was suitable for unlimited passages in the bioreactor. 2.5x10(5) cells/ml were cultured for 25 days to reach the maximal cell density of 1.6x10(7) cells/ml. The quantification of protein synthesis revealed that the highest level of 2.4 mg of recombinant LG4/5 protein was harvested when 10(7) transfected cells/ml were injected in the bioreactor and allowed to grow for 2 days. The mean daily recombinant LG4/5 fragment product yield of 1.2 mg of protein per minifermenter shows that cultivation of HEK293-EBNA transfectants in suspension is highly convenient for the production of recombinant laminin fragments.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2004

T-RFLP analysis of bacterial communities in cyclodextrin-amended bioreactors developed for biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls.

In this study, T-RFLP analysis was used to determine the structure and spatial distribution of the indigenous bacterial community of an actual-site PCB-contaminated soil treated in aerobic packed-bed loop reactors (PBLRs) in the absence or in the presence of a mixture of randomly methylated beta-cyclodextrins (RAMEB) at 0.5 or 1% w/w. RAMEB was found to significantly enhance the aerobic bioremediation of soil with effects that increased proportionally with the concentration at which it was applied. At the end of treatment (180 days), T-RFLP analysis of the soil samples collected from the top and bottom regions of the PBLRs showed a series of 50 single T-RFs. Remarkably, the number of T-RFs was significantly lower (13-22) in samples collected from different sections of the RAMEB-amended bioreactors with respect to equivalent samples collected from the RAMEB-free reactor. Cluster analysis based on the presence or the absence of T-RFs peaks revealed high similarity, inside each reactor, between the top and bottom parts of its soil bed. Soil samples collected at the top and bottom regions of the two bioreactors amended with RAMEB, clustered together while the equivalent samples of the bioreactor without RAMEB formed a separate cluster which was distantly related to the soil samples obtained from the parallel amended bioreactor. Notably, T-RFLP analyses combined with extensive sequencing of 16S rDNA allowed us to tentatively allocate a series of bacterial species corresponding to specific peaks of the T-RFLP profiles and to determine their phylogenetic affiliation.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗