Objective To study large-scale expansion of SD （Sprague-Dawley） rat＇s osteoblasts in suspension culture in a rotating wall vessel bioreactor （RWVB）. Methods The bioreactor rotation speeds were adjusted in the range of 0 to 20 rpm, which could provide low shear on the rnicrocarriers around 1 dyn/cm^2. The cells were isolated via sequential digestions of neonatal （less than 3 days old） SD rat calvaria. After the primary culture and several passages, the cells were seeded onto the microcarriers and cultivated in T-flask, spinner flask and RWVB respectively. During the culture period, the cells were counted and observed under the inverted microscope for morphology every 12 h. After 7 days, the cells were evaluated with scanning electron microscope （SEM） for histological examination of the aggregates. Also, the hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and alkaline phosphatase （ALP） staining were performed. Moreover, von-Kossa staining and Alizarin Red S staining were carded out for mineralized nodule formation. Results The results showed that in RWVB, the cells could be expanded by more than ten times and they presented better morphology and vitality and stronger ability to form bones. Conclusions The developed RWVB can provide the culture environment with a relatively low shear force and necessary three-dimensional （3D） interactions among cells and is suitable for osteopath expansion in vitro.
KE-DONG SONGTIAN-QINGLIUXIANG-QIN LIZHAN-FENG CUIXIANG-YU SUNAND XUE-HU MA
Objective To analyze the forces of rotational wall vessel （RWV） bioreactor on small tissue pieces or microcarrier particles and to determine the tracks of microcarrier particles in RWV bioreactor. Methods The motion of the microcarrier in the rotating wall vessel （RWV） bioreactor with both the inner and outer cylinders rotating was modeled by numerical simulation. Results The continuous trajectory of microcarrier particles, including the possible collision with the wall was obtained. An expression between the minimum rotational speed difference of the inner and outer cylinders and the microcarrier particle or aggregate radius could avoid collisions with either wall. The range of microcarrier radius or tissue size, which could be safely cultured in the RWV bioreactor, in terms of shear stress level, was determined. Conclusion The model works well in describing the trajectory of a heavier microcarrier particle in rotating wall vessel.
