Performance of enzymatic fuel cell in cell culture

• A membrane- and mediator-less enzymatic fuel cell was studied in a cell culture platform.
• Presence of a nearly confluent fibroblast cell layer on an enzymatic fuel cell lowers the performance of the device considerably.
• Cellobiose dehydrogenase, anodic biocatalyst, had a toxic effect on the cell line due to hydrogen peroxide production.
• The toxic effect of bioanodes was circumvented by catalase co-immobilization.

Here we present the very first study of an enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) in a cell culture. An EFC with Corynascus thermophilus cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) based bioanode and Myrothecium verrucaria bilirubin oxidase (BOx) based biocathode was constructed at the bottom of a medusa cell culture plate. The constructed EFC had a power density of up to 25 μW cm−2 at 0.5 V potential in simple buffer solution and in cell culturing medium. L929 murine fibroblast cells were seeded on top of the EFC and possible effects of the EFC on the cells and vice versa were studied. It was shown that on average the power of the EFC drops by about 70% under a nearly confluent layer of cells. The EFC appeared to have a toxic effect on the L929 cell line. It was concluded that the bioanode, consisting of CDH, produced hydrogen peroxide at toxic concentrations. However, the toxic effect was circumvented by co-immobilizing catalase on the bioanode.