The majority of those who heat inactivate serum products for
cell culture probably do not consider whether or not this
step is still desirable; they are simply following
an original protocol. At one time, heat inactivation
was considered necessary because of concerns over
possible contaminants in serum. Things have changed.
Today, many feel that exposing serum to heat degrades
valuable biomolecules, such as growth
factors, vitamins, and amino acids–and is no
longer generally advisable.
The practice of heat inactivating serum was originally developed
when only serum from adult animals was available for cell
culture. Adult serum contains various immune factors,
particularly serum complement, which may inhibit or destroy cells
under certain conditions.
