Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on monoclonal antibody production in hybridoma cell cultures

The effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on cell growth and antibody production in hybridoma cell cultivation were examined in batch culture with computer-controlled DO concentrations. In serum-containing medium, cell growth and antibody production were independent of DO value controlled in the range of 0.2-5 ppm. In serum-free medium, however, antibody production strongly depended on DO concentration for low DO values less than 2 ppm, in spite of the fact that specific growth rate did not vary greatly. Glucose consumption, lactate production and conversion to lactate increased with a decrease in DO in serum-free medium. On the other hand, conversion was high and independent of DO concentration in serum-containing medium. These results were observed in three hybridoma cell lines, including two mouse-mouse hybridomas and one human-human hybridoma.