On-line monitoring of glucose in mammalian cell culture using a flow injection analysis (FIA) mediated biosensor

A flow injection analysis (FIA) biosensor system has been developed for on-line determination of glucose during mammalian cell cultivation. The culture sample was peristaltically withdrawn from the bioreactor and after cell separation by a steam sterilizable ceramic microfilter, the filtrate was continuously fed to the FIA mediated-biosensor system at 4 mLh(-1), whereas the cell-containing retentate was recirculated to the bioreactor. In the amperometric biosensor system, glucose oxidase was covalently immobilized onto a preactivated nylon membrane and attached to the sensing area of a platinum working electrode. The enzyme reaction was coupled with the mediator 1,1'-dimethylferricinium (DMFe(+))-cyclodextrin inclusion complex to recycle the reduced glucose oxidase to its original active state. 1,1'-Dimethylferrocene (DMFe) was then reoxidized to DMFe(+) at the surface of the platinum electrode poised at + 0.15 V vs silver/silver chloride. The FIA mediated-biosensor was linear up to 6 mM glucose, with a detection limit of 0.1 mM, and possessed excellent reproducibility (+/- 0.4 %, 95 % confidence interval) over 123 repeated analyses during a 62 h continuous operation. The immobilized glucose oxidase was stable for up to 7 days when applied to glucose measurement during 5-10 day fed-batch cultivation of 293S mammalian cells. The results obtained from the mediated-biosensor system compared well with the hexokinase and HPLC data. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 497-504, 1997.