Animal Cell Culture
In all ex vivo cell cultures, the most challenging is the cultivation of animal cells. Here are the specific conditions it requires:
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Serum:
Animal cell ex vivo culture often requires serum, with fetal bovine serum being the most commonly used. Serum provides essential growth factors such as hormones, trace elements, minerals, and lipids. In this context, serum acts as the natural nutrient solution for animal cell ex vivo culture. -
Substrate:
Most animal cells have the habit of adherent growth. Glass, plastic, and other materials are commonly used as substrates in ex vivo cultures. -
Gas Exchange:
The ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen needs continuous adjustment throughout the cell culture process to maintain the required gas conditions.
Plant Cell Culture
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Light:
Plant cells in ex vivo culture are not very strict about light conditions, as the necessary substances for cell growth are primarily supplied by the culture medium. However, light is not only related to photosynthesis but also to cell differentiation. For example, the photoperiod can regulate sexual cell differentiation and flowering. In the early stages of plant cell culture aiming to obtain plants, light conditions are particularly important. The process of obtaining important substances, such as drugs, through plant cell ex vivo culture, often involves the suspension culture of plant cells in bioreactors. -
Hormones:
The division and growth of plant cells require the regulation of plant hormones, with growth hormones promoting growth and division hormones promoting cell division being the most basic. The division, growth, differentiation, and individual growth cycle of plant cells all involve corresponding hormones. Compared to animal cells, the principles of hormone requirements in plant cell ex vivo culture are understood, and the application technology is quite mature, with a set of usable culture media. It also addresses the requirements of plant cells for water, nutrients, hormones, osmotic pressure, acidity and alkalinity, and trace elements.
Microbial Cell Culture
Microorganisms are mostly single-celled organisms with relatively simple conditions for survival in the wild. Therefore, the conditions for artificial cultivation of microorganisms are much simpler than those for animal and plant cells. Anaerobic microbial culture is more complex than aerobic microbial culture because strict anaerobic conditions require maintaining the concentration of inert gases such as carbon dioxide, while aerobic microorganisms only need to provide sterile oxygen through continuous agitation. Microorganisms do not have strict requirements for culture conditions like animal and plant cells do, and substances such as corn steep liquor, peptone, malt extract, and yeast extract become good natural culture media for microorganisms. Additional requirements for the nutritional conditions of some specific microorganisms can be addressed by adding extra components to these natural culture media.
