Methodological aspects of microelectrode measurements in cellular spheroids.

Different types of oxygen microelectrodes have been tested in measurements on cellular spheroids. The shape of the oxygen gradients varied strongly depending on size and type of the spheroids. No significant differences in the results were obtained when different types of electrodes were applied. All measurements were made in a perfusion chamber. The shape of the gradients did not vary with time in the perfusion chamber. The reproducibility was found good in repeated measurements using the same spheroid. No mechanical or chemical disturbances were seen during the penetration of the spheroids. Changes in the medium flow rate through the chamber did not drastically change the shape of the oxygen gradients. Almost no convection could be seen at the bottom of the chamber close to the spheroids. The composition of the medium was found to be of importance. Lock's solution containing glucose was found to be satisfactory. The potential signals in the double barrel electrodes allowed an accurate determination of the position when the electrode hit the spheroid surface. The information gained from microelectrode measurements in spheroids might be valuable for the understanding of effects of new tumor treatment modalities in which hypoxic cell sensitizers or high LET radiation are utilized.