A direct nitric oxide gas delivery system for bacterial and mammalian cell cultures

Nitric oxide (NO) is the smallest known gaseous signaling molecule released by mammalian and plant cells. To investigate the pathophysiologic role of exogenous NO gas (gNO) in bacterial and mammalian cell cultures, a validated in vitro delivery method is required. The system should be able to deliver gNO directly to bacterial and/or cell cultures in a continuous, predictable, and reproducible manner over a long period of time (days). To accomplish this, a gas delivery system was designed to provide optimal growth conditions for bacteria and/or mammalian cells. Parameters for cell exposure, such as concentration of gNO, nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), oxygen (O(2)), temperature, and relative humidity (RH) were continuously monitored and evaluated. Uptake of gNO into various media was monitored by measuring the nitrite concentration using the Griess reagent technique. A selection of standard growth media [saline, tryptic soy broth (TSB), Middlebrook 7H9 (MB 7H9), and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM)] exposed to various concentrations of gNO revealed a steady and consistent transfer of gNO into the aqueous phase over a 48-h period. Validation of optimal growth conditions within the device, as compared to a conventional incubator, were accomplished by growing and observing viability of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and human fibroblast cultures in the absence of gNO. These results indicate that an optimal growth environment for the above tested cells was accomplished inside the proposed delivery system. Dose-dependent toxicological data revealed a significant bacteriostatic effect on P. aeruginosa and S. aureus with continuous exposure to 80 ppm gNO. No toxic effects were observed on dermal fibroblast proliferation at concentrations up to 400 ppm gNO for 48 h. In conclusion, the designed gNO exposure system is capable of supporting cellular viability for a representative range of prokaryote and eukaryotic cells. The exposure system is also capable of obtaining toxicological data. Therefore, the proposed device can be utilized to continuously expose cells to various levels of gNO for up to 72 h to study the in vitro effects of gNO therapy.