Cell culture contamination has been a major concern for
researchers since cell culture was introduced in the early
1900’s. One particular villain to the field of in vitro research
has been endotoxin. But what do we really know about it?
You may be familiar with the terms “traceability” and “origin” in
reference to fetal bovine serum (FBS), but how do these topics
really impact the use of serum in cell culture? “Origin” is
simply the country in which the raw material was collected.
“Traceability” refers to the documentation roadmap that connects
serum origin to final manufacturing and distribution.
Albumin is one of the most extensively used proteins in biological research today. It acts as a powerful antioxidant in cell culture. It binds, sequesters and stabilizes a variety of molecular species which are often unstable. This acidic, soluble protein has both high- affinity and secondary binding sites, optimizing the roles that fatty acids, metals, disulfides, and other molecules play in cellular metabolism.
With all of the choices for bovine serum albumin (BSA) available, you may be wondering what the differences are and which product is right for your application.
Labels may not always tell the truth. Some labels offer little
useful information about the product in the bottle, while some
may even seek to mislead a buyer into believing something untrue
about that product.
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.
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 most important question is, “will precipitates in serum cause harm to my cells?” The answer to this question is no. Serum is an excellent supplement for cell culture media because it contains many of the components necessary for cell growth (proteins, electrolytes, lipids, minerals, vitamins, hormones, and many undefined growth factors). It is important to note specifically what these components are, as each of these has different physiological properties, affecting the appearance of serum and ultimately how Gemini processes and stores serum.
The in vitro culture of animal cells commonly requires a medium rich in nutrients. These nutrients are usually supplied by supplementing a chemically defined medium with animal serum. Serum offers a highly bioavailable complex of proteins and amino acids, lipids and triglycerides, vitamins, inorganic minerals and salts, as well as
