Vitamin combination promotes ex vivo expansion of NK-92 cells by reprogramming glucose metabolism

Abstract

Robust ex vivo expansion of NK-92 cells is essential for clinical immunotherapy. The vitamin B group is critical for the expansion and function of immune cells. This study optimized a vitamin combination by response surface methodology based on an in-house designed chemically defined serum-free medium EM. The serum-free medium EM-V4 with an optimal vitamin combination favoured ex vivo expansion of NK-92 cells. The characteristics of glucose metabolism of NK-92 cells in EM-V4 and the relationships between cell expansion and metabolism were investigated. NK-92 cells in EM-V4 underwent metabolic reprogramming. An elevated ratio of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphofructokinase (G6PDH/PFK) indicated that NK-92 cells shifted towards the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). An increase in the ratio of pyruvate dehydrogenase/lactate dehydrogenase (PDH/LDH) suggested that the cells shifted towards the Krebs (TCA) cycle, i.e., from glycolysis to aerobic metabolism. The enhanced ratio of oxygen consumption rate/extracellular acidification rate (OCR/ECAR) indicated that NK-92 cells were more reliant on mitochondrial respiration than on glycolysis. This shift provided more intermediate metabolites and energy for biosynthesis. Thus, EM-V4 accelerated biomass accumulation and energy production to promote NK-92 cell expansion by regulating the metabolic distribution. Our results provide valuable insight for the large-scale ex vivo expansion of clinically available NK-92 cells.Graphical