Effects of Pluronic F-68 on Cell Growth of Digitalis lanata in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

The effects of Pluronic F-68, a non-ionic surfactant, on the growth and physical characteristics of Digitalis lanata suspension cultures were investigated in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) composed of $4.5\%$ polyethylene glycol (PEG) 20,000 and $2.8\%$ crude dextran. In the range of 0.1-10.0 g $1^{-1}$, Pluronic F-68 enhanced the maximum cell density in a medium with ATPSs, even though Pluronic F-68 did not affect cell growth in a normal growth medium. In terms of physical properties of ATPSs with cell suspension cultures, 0.2 g $1^{-1}$ of Pluronic F-68 reduced viscosity by up to $40\%$, while 0.1 g $1^{-1}$ of Pluronic F-68 significantly enhanced the oxygen transfer rate. In addition, we successfully performed aqueous two-phase cultivation in a 5-1 stirred tank bioreactor with 0.5 g $1^{-1}$ of Pluronic F-68, and discovered that cell growth in ATPSs was similar to that in normal growth medium.