The
determination of cell confluency and subculture timing for
cell culture consistency is crucial in the field of cell-based research,
but there is no universal standard concerning optimal confluence.
In this study, gold nanodot arrays on glass substrates were used as
culture substrates, and their spectral shifts of localized surface
plasmon resonance (LSPR) were employed to monitor cell growth and
quantify cell confluency. Experiments including cell counting, metabolic
activity, focal adhesion, and cell cycle were also performed to confirm
the cell growth monitoring accuracy of the LSPR signals. The LSPR
signal exhibited the same trends like the increase of cell numbers
and cell metabolic activity and reached the maximum as the cell growth
achieved confluency, suggesting its great capability as an effective
indicator to predict suitable subculture timing. The proposed sensing
approach is a noninterventional, nondestructive, real-time, and useful
tool to help biologists quantify the optimal subculture timing, achieve
cell culture consistency, and obtain reproducible experimental results
efficiently.
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