FBS Activated Charcoal
Our FBS is treated with dextran-coated activated charcoal, which reduces the content of steroid hormones (e.g. testosterone, cortisol, oestradiol or progesterone), cytokines or even viruses. It is particularly suitable for the investigation of hormone-regulated processes (e.g. obesity process, oestrogen stimulation) or hormone-free analyses (e.g. viral infections). In addition, this treatment leads to reduced batch fluctuations and ensures a constant quality of the serum.
Properties
Reduced content of steroid hormones
Consistent quality - reduced batch to batch variation
High safety - virus/mycoplasma tested
Good to know
Steroid hormones (e.g. testosterone, cortisol, oestradiol or progesterone) are steroids that have a hormonal effect. They belong to the lipid hormones and serve as messenger substances to transmit information between tissues. In humans, they are produced in the adrenal cortex, in the gonads and in the central nervous system (CNS) and have a regulatory function in the human organism.
To rid our FBS of steroid hormones, it is treated with dextran-coated activated charcoal. Lipid-like structures are bound to the activated charcoal and removed by filtration and centrifugation. However, this treatment does not lead to any non-specific loss of other serum components. It reduces batch fluctuations and ensures a constant quality of the serum.
Serum is often added to the cell culture medium to create in vivo conditions for in vitro cell culture. Serum serves the cells as a source of growth factors, lipids, hormones and minerals. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is particularly rich in growth factors and contains few antibodies that could interfere with cell cultivation. This unique composition makes FBS one of the most important supplements for cell proliferation in in vitro cell culture.