Influence of serum level,cell line,flow type and viscosity on flow-induced lysis of suspended mammalian cells

An investigation was conducted of the parametric dependence of cell lysis observed when mammalian cells growing in suspension are subjected intermittently to intense hydrodynamic forces. Two flow devices were tested: one consisting of a sudden contraction into a short length of capillary tubing, in which turbulent flow is obtained, and another consisting of a smoothly converging and diverging tube, in which laminar flow is obtained. Changes in the cell line and the serum level in which the cells were grown and subjected to flow trauma both affected the specific lysis rate (fraction of cells lysed per pass through the flow device) in the turbulent flow device. The threshold value of the average wall shear stress level was approximately the same in the turbulent and laminar flow devices (1500–1800 dyn/cm²). Increasing the viscosity of the medium with 70,000 MW dextran had no effect on the specific lysis rate in either flow device.