Physioxic human cell culture improves viability, metabolism, and mitochondrial morphology while reducing DNA damage

What is it about?

In human cell culture, physiological barriers are stripped away exposing cells to much higher levels of oxygen than they would be within the body. Human cells cultured in ambient air may appear normal, but we show that they die more, proliferate more slowly, have more damage to their DNA and RNA, are more stressed and have abnormal mitochondria relative to culture in physiological oxygen. Therefore, normoxic cells could be problematic when attempting to make physiological inferences as they are in a perpetual state of damage and repair with likely differences in their protein content relative to physioxia. We highlight the existence of a Goldiloxygen zone where oxygen is not too high, not too low, but just right.

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