Media without phenol red for optical cell culture applications
Phenol red is added to many cell culture media as a pH indicator. As an indicator, phenol red makes changes in pH visible through a color change. However, the dye can interfere with microscopic imaging or optical measurement techniques. Furthermore, there is evidence that phenol red may have hormone-disrupting properties. For these reasons, it may be advisable to choose a medium without phenol red. That is why we also offer selected cell culture media without phenol red.
The advantages of a medium without phenol red are:
- No phenol red as a color indicator in the medium
- Ideal for microscopic or optical measurement methods (when the medium’s inherent color is a hindrance)
- No hormone-disrupting properties due to phenol red
DMEM High Glucose
DMEM High Glucose with HEPES
EMEM with Earle’s salts
RPMI 1640 - without L-glutamine
SILAC DMEM - High Glucose
SILAC RPMI 1640
William’s E Medium
Freeze Protect Medium
CHO Medium
FAQs
Does phenol red affect hormones?
Yes, there is evidence that phenol red has an estrogenic effect due to its non-steroidal, estrogen-like hormonal structure. Please refer to the original literature by W.V. Welshons et al. (“Estrogenic activity of phenol red”) . DOI: 10.1016/0303-7207(88)90072-x. If you are conducting research on endocrine cells or investigating hormonal cycles and their influence on metabolism, growth, and reproduction, a cell culture medium without phenol red can make sense.
Does “without phenol red” mean that the medium is unbuffered?
No. “Without phenol red” means that the cell culture medium does not contain phenol red as a pH indicator. However, phenol red is not a buffering agent. To find out what the buffering agent is, please refer to the formulation in our data sheet.
