Impact of poloxamer 188 (Pluronic F-68) additive on cell mechanical properties, quantification by real-time deformability cytometry

Guzniczak, E., Jimenez, M. , Irwin, M., Otto, O., Willoughby, N. and Bridle, H. (2018) Impact of poloxamer 188 (Pluronic F-68) additive on cell mechanical properties, quantification by real-time deformability cytometry. Biomicrofluidics, 12(4), 044118. (doi: 10.1063/1.5040316)

Abstract

Advances in cellular therapies have led to the development of new approaches for cell product purification and formulation, e.g., utilizing cell endogenous properties such as size and deformability as a basis for separation from potentially harmful undesirable by-products. However, commonly used additives such as Pluronic F-68 and other poloxamer macromolecules can change the mechanical properties of cells and consequently alter their processing. In this paper, we quantified the short-term effect of Pluronic F-68 on the mechanotype of three different cell types (Jurkat cells, red blood cells, and human embryonic kidney cells) using real-time deformability cytometry. The impact of the additive concentration was assessed in terms of cell size and deformability. We observed that cells respond progressively to the presence of Pluronic F-68 within first 3 h of incubation and become significantly stiffer (p-value < 0.001) in comparison to a serum-free control and a control containing serum. We also observed that the short-term response manifested as cell stiffening is true (p-value < 0.001) for the concentration reaching 1% (w/v) of the poloxamer additive in tested buffers. Additionally, using flow cytometry, we assessed that changes in cell deformability triggered by addition of Pluronic F-68 are not accompanied by size or viability alterations.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We wish to thank the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) for providing resources for this research. M.J. would like to thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for her personal Research Fellowship. O.O. gratefully acknowledges 044118-10 Guzniczak et al. Biomicrofluidics 12, 044118 (2018) the support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (ZIK Grant under Agreement No. 03Z22CN11). We gratefully acknowledge the support offered by the MRC-funded Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium for both their expertise and infrastructure.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jimenez, Dr Melanie
• Authors: Guzniczak, E., Jimenez, M., Irwin, M., Otto, O., Willoughby, N., and Bridle, H.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: Biomicrofluidics
• Publisher: AIP Publishing
• ISSN: 1932-1058
• ISSN (Online): 1932-1058
• Published Online: 22 August 2018
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 AIP Publishing
• First Published: First published in Biomicrofluidics 12(4): 044118
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy