Cell disruption ultrasonic

Ultrasonic cell disrupters are manufactured by a half-dozen or so companies. In the author s lab, the Model 550 Sonic Dismenbrator (Fisher Scientific) has been in use. It becomes important to retune the generator when a new probe is changed. There are also additional tuning procedures to follow for microtips. 

FurukiT, Maeda S, Imajo S, Hiroi T, Amaya T, HirokawaT, et al. Rapid and selective extraction of phycocyanin from Spimlinaplatensis with ultrasonic cell disruption.JHpp/ Phycol 2003 15 319. 

Large-scale ultrasonic irradiation is extant technology. Liquid processing rates of 200 liters/minute are routinely accessible from a variety of modular, in-line designs with acoustic power of several kW per unit (83). The industrial uses of these units include (1) degassing of liquids, (2) dispersion of solids into liquids, (3) emulsification of immiscible liquids, and (4) large-scale cell disruption (74). While these units are of limited use for most laboratory research, they are of potential importance in eventual industrial application of sonochemical reactions. 

Most chemists working on sonochemistry in the laboratory will either use some form of ultrasonic bath or a commercial probe system. The latter instruments are often equipped with a pulse facility which was originally designed for biological cell disruption where temperature control is important. This pulse facility enables the power ultrasound to be delivered intermittently and thereby allow periods of cool-... 

Ultrasonic waves, produced by a sonicator, are transmitted into a suspension of cells by a metal probe (Figure E4.1C). The vibration set up by the ultrasonic waves disrupts the cell membrane, releasing the cell components into the surrounding aqueous solution. 

Physical Methods Physical methods include mechanical disruption by milling, homogenization, or ultrasonication. Typical high-speed bead mills are composed of a grinding chamber filled with glass or steel beads which are agitated with disks or impellers mounted on a motor-driven shaft. The efficiency of cell disruption in a bead mill depends on the concentration of the cells, the amount and size of beads, and the type and rotation speed of the agitator. The optimum wet solid content for the cell suspension for a bead mill is typically somewhere between 30 percent to 60 percent by volume. The amount of beads in the chamber is 70 percent to 90 percent by... 

An ultrasonicator generates sound waves above 16 kHz, which causes pressure fluctuations to form oscillating bubbles that implode violently generating shock waves. Cell disruption by an ultrasonicator is effective with most cell suspensions and is widely used in the laboratory. However, it is impractical to be used on a large scale due to its high operating cost. 

Another use of cell disruption as a step in the analytical process is for obtaining a suspension of single cells — that can be used under optimal fermentation conditions — by ultrasonic disruption of cells manufactured in active dry wine yeast. Their potential was confirmed by comparing the elution profiles of non-sonicated and sonicated yeast sample dispersions obtained using two different field flow fractionation techniques [88]. 

Cell disruption Bead mills High-pressure homogenization Ultrasonication... 

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