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. 2004 Jul;45(3):107–115. doi: 10.1007/s10616-004-6173-2

Evaluation of insulin-mimetic trace metals as insulin replacements in mammalian cell cultures

Victor V T Wong 1,✉, Kah Wye Ho 2, Miranda G S Yap 1,2
PMCID: PMC3450166  PMID: 19003248

Abstract

Insulin is involved in a number of cellular functions, including the stimulation of cell growth, cell cycle progression and glucose uptake and is a common protein supplement in serum-free mammalian cell culture media. However, several trace metals have previously been reported to exhibit insulin-like effects on specific cell types. As a step towards developing chemically-defined, protein-free media for mammalian cells, we tested the effectiveness of five trace metals (cadmium, nickel, lithium, vanadium and zinc) as a replacement for insulin. Four cell lines of biotechnological relevance were used, including the hybridoma CRL1606, the myeloma NS0, and the Chinese hamster ovary cell lines CHO-IFN and CHO-K1. Zinc was found to be an effective insulin replacement for the hybridoma, myeloma and CHO-K1 cells. Cell growth, cell cycle progression and antibody production was not affected by the substitution. Furthermore, no adaptation procedure was required.

Keywords: Insulin, Mammalian cell culture, Protein-free medium, Trace metals, Zinc

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