Enhancement effects of BSA and linoleic acid on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production.

The effects of linoleic acid and bovine serum albumin on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production were investigated. In dish cultivation, linoleic acid on its own promoted cell growth when used at concentrations below 50 mg L-1, but strongly inhibited growth at a concentration of 100 mg L-1 on more. However, linoleic acid bound to bovine serum albumin did not inhibit cell growth, even at a concentration as high as 100 mg L-1. Also, linoleic acid did not affect the specific antibody production rate, with or without bovine serum albumin. In order to elucidate the enhancement of antibody production by bovine serum albumin, fractions were prepared by ultrafiltration (98% molecular weight cut-offs, 50,000 and 17,000) and the effects of the fractionation on antibody production were studied in batch cultivation. The high-molecular-weight fraction (> or = 50,000) promoted antibody production whereas the low-molecular-weight fraction (< or = 17,000) inhibited it. In continuous cultivation, the high-molecular-weight fraction was also found to enhance antibody production.