Hybridoma cultivation in defined serum-free media: growth-supporting substances. II. Insulin, other hormones, and growth factors.

The effects of insulin and hydrocortisone on growth of hybridomas in serum-free medium were studied. The optimum growth-stimulating concentration of insulin was 10 micrograms/ml. Omission of insulin resulted in substantially decreased growth (23-53% of the cells growing 3 days with insulin). The optimum growth-supporting concentration of hydrocortisone was 2 ng/ml. Hybridoma cells growing 3 days without hydrocortisone represented about 80% of the cells growing with hydrocortisone. Hormones testosterone, triiodothyronine, and prostaglandin F2 alpha as well as growth factors EGF and FGF had no growth-supporting effect.