Contaminant effects on cellular metabolic differential pressure curve: a quantitative analysis

The possibility of using a pressure monitoring system based on differential pressure sensors to detect contaminant effects on cellular cultures metabolic activity is discussed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cultures: differential pressure curves' shape, starting slope and maximum are affected both by physical and chemical contamination. Aim of the present study is the investigation of the effects generated by a 72h exposition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, human lymphocytes and AHH1 cellular line cultures to 50Hz, 60(mu) T electromagnetic field. No significant differences have been recorded between irradiated and control yeast samples. On other hand irradiated lymphocytes samples, cultures in a PHA medium, grow less than control ones, but exhibit a greater metabolic activity: changes in the exposure system configuration influence neither sample growth differences nor metabolic response variations between control and irradiated samples. Control and irradiated lymphocyte samples, without PHA in culture medium, show the same behavior both during irradiation and metabolic test. AHH1 control and irradiated samples show no difference both in growth percentage during irradiation and in metabolic test. Different cell cultures respond to the same stimulus in different manners.