Evaluating prostate cancer cell culturing methods: a comparison of cell morphologies and metabolic activity.

LNCaP prostate cancer cells were grown under four unique cultivation conditions. Two types of bioreactor systems were used to observe the influence of low-shear culture conditions allowing for three-dimensional growth: a) a perfusion rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor; and b) a high aspect ratio vessel (HARV) RWV bioreactor, with periodic medium exchanges (fed-batch). In addition, two growth methods utilized tissue culture flasks (TCFs): a) unaltered or conventional TCFs; and b) poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [poly(HEMA)] coated TCFs, to inhibit cell attachment.