Inorganic support for culture media

• US 3,935,067 A
• Filed: 11/22/1974
• Issued: 01/27/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wyo-Ben, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wyo-Ben Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Thayer, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Monacell, A. Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, C. A.
• Application Number:
  US05/526,376
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 195/103.5 R, 195/100, 195/102, 195/103, 195/116, 195/1.7, 195/1.8
• US Class Current: 435/397
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 25/14 Scaffolds; Matrices in general C12N5/0068
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/00 Microorganisms, e.g. protozoa; Compositions thereof medicinal preparations containing material from protozoa, bacteria or viruses A61K35/66, from algae A61K36/02, from fungi A61K36/06; preparing medicinal bacterial antigen or antibody compositions, e.g. bacterial vaccines, A61K39/00; Processes of propagating, maintaining or preserving microorganisms or compositions thereof; Processes of preparing or isolating a composition containing a microorganism; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2533/10 Mineral substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0068 General culture methods using substrates for specific animal cell type C12N5/06

Abstract

Microorganisms and tissue cells are cultured in culture media which contain a growth support. Such support is often agar. All microorganisms and tissue cells which are grown and propagated on an agar support in a culture media are also grown and propagated under the same conditions on a solid or semi-solid support, consisting essentially of an inorganic water-swellable material and water, containing the same amounts of the same materials otherwise contained by the culture medium with the agar support.

Claims

1. In an aqueous microbial or tissue-cell culture medium which consists essentially of a support, nutrient matter and water, the improvement wherein the support is water-swellable to an extent of at least 3-fold in contact with sufficient water, and the support and water together constitute a solid or semi-solid non-particulate mass which is inorganic, is water-retentive, is thixotropic, and is a non-nutritive microbial or tissue-cell growth support.

2. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the support is a water-adsorbing clay which swells at least 5-fold in contact with water.

3. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the support is a hydrated aluminum silicate.

4. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the support is a montmorillonite.

5. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the support is bentonite.

6. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the support is refined clay.

7. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the nutrient matter comprises substrate which consists essentially of means for microbial or tissue-cell growth and propagation, and the support is stable over a pH range of from pH 2 through pH 12.

8. Culture medium means according to claim 7 for static microbial or tissue-cell growth and propagation.

9. Culture medium according to claim 7 which consists essentially of an admixture of the organic substrate and the other nutrient matter with water-swelled support.

10. Culture medium according to claim 7 wherein the water-swellable support constitutes from 4 to 12 percent by weight, based on the weight of the water in the medium.

11. Culture medium according to claim 9 wherein carbohydrate constitutes the organic substrate.

12. Culture medium according to claim 7 further comprising fungi.

13. Culture medium according to claim 7 further comprising mold.

14. Culture medium according to claim 7 further comprising yeast.

15. Culture medium according to claim 7 further comprising bacteria.

16. Culture medium according to claim 7 further comprising tissue cells.

17. A process for preparing culture medium according to claim 1 which comprises blending the water with sufficient wateradsorbing clay to obtain a smooth thick slurry, admixing the organic substrate and the other nutrient matter with the slurry, sterilizing the resulting admixture, and permitting the sterilized product to set to a solid or semi-solid mass.

18. A process which comprises inoculating culture medium according to claim 1 with a species of microorganism and culturing the species on the medium.

19. A process which comprises inoculating culture medium according to claim 1 with tissue cells and culturing the tissue cells on the medium.

21. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the (w/v) relationship between the inorganic support and the water which swells it to a solid or semi-solid mass is within the range of from 3:

100 to 3;

25.

22. Culture medium according to claim 1 wherein the amount of water-swellable support is sufficient to adsorb all of the water, and the amount of water is sufficient, when blended with the nutrient matter and support, to permit the resulting blend to set into a solid or semi-solid mass.

20. In culturing microorganisms or tissue cells which may be grown and propagated on an agar or silica-gel support in an aqueous culture medium, the improvement wherein the agar or silica-gel support is replaced by a support which is water-swellable to an extent of at least 3-fold in contact with sufficient water, and the support and water together constitute a solid or semi-solid non-particulate mass which is inorganic, is water-retentive, is thixotropic, and is a non-nutritive microbial or tissue-cell growth support.