Micro-environmentally restricted hybridoma cell growth within polysaccharide hydrogel microbeads

The mechanism of micro-environmentally restricted hybridoma cell growth caused by action of local mechanical compression stress generated within various polysaccharide hydrogel matrixes is estimated by comparing the growth of hybridoma cells within (1) 1.5% Ca-alginate microbeads from Bugarski et al. [in: Fundamentals of Animal Cells Immobilization and Microencapsulation, M.F.A. Goosen, ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1993, p. 267] and (2) 1.3% alginate-agarose microbeads from Shen et al. [Animal Cell Technology: Basic & Applied Aspects, H. Murakami ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, 1992, p. 173].Consideration of restricted cell growth dynamics based on developed kinetic model and kinetic 3D Monte Carlo simulation include: (1) changes the fraction of active proliferating cells in the exponential phase and (2) changes of non-proliferating cell concentration in the plateau phase.Higher value of the specific decrease of active fraction of proliferating cells κ is obtained for 1.3% alginate-agarose compared to 1.5% alginate microbeads. It corresponds to higher compression stress generated within hydrogel matrix during cell growth obtained for 1.3% alginate-agarose microbeads.