title: Stability of Minimum Essential Medium functionality despite L-glutamine decomposition.
abstract: L-Glutamine (L-Gln) instability in liquid media is a well-known fact. Also, negative effect of ammonia, one of the L-Gln degradation products, on viability of many cell cultures and on replication of different viruses has been described. However, negative effects of ammonia have been reported in doses excessively exceeding those that could be generated in regularly used liquid culture media due to spontaneous L-Gln breakdown (below 2 mM). Traditional virus vaccine production processes have been established and registered involving L-Gln containing media use. Eventual culture media replacement in the regular production process belongs to the major regulative changes that require substantial financial expenses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of storage of Minimum Essential Media with Hanks salts on their relevant biological functions during virus vaccine production process in relation to L-Gln decrease. Our results show a cell type dependent effect of spontaneous L-Gln degradation during medium storage. They also suggest that for cell cultures used in measles, mumps, and rubella virus production the media retain their functionality in respect to cell viability or virus growth over a certain time window despite L-Gln degradation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jagušić
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Dubravko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forčić
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brgles
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology Inc., Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Leonida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kutle
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Šantak
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Mladen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jergović
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology Inc., Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ljerka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kotarski
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Krešo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bendelja
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia. beata.halassy@unizg.hr.|Center of Excellence for Virus Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia. beata.halassy@unizg.hr.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Halassy
keywords: Apoptosis; Cell viability; L-Glutamine; Measles; Minimum Essential Medium (MEM); Mumps; Necrosis; Rubella