FBS Low Endotoxin

Our low endotoxin sera are subjected to a critical selection and, after additional treatment, contain almost no endotoxins of bacterial origin (endotoxin content < 10 EU/ml). The sera are suitable for the cultivation of sensitive cell lines, primary cell cultures, hybridoma cloning and transfections. Endotoxins very often have a negative effect on the success of a transfection. Our low endotoxin sera are characterized by increased transfection efficiencies and increased reproducibility of experiments due to reduced batch variations.

Endotoxins belong structurally to the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and are components of the outer cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria or cyanobacteria. They are released by living bacteria through the cleavage of vesicles or upon death through the disintegration of the outer cell wall and trigger strong cellular and immunological reactions. Bacteria are inactivated by various sterilization processes, but endotoxins are very heat-stable and usually even survive sterilization. In cell culture, endotoxins have a negative effect on transfection and reduce both the transfection efficiency and the reproducibility of the experiments.

Our “Low Endotoxin” sera have been tested for their endotoxin content using the “Kinetic limulus amoebocyte lysate test”, the so-called LAL test, and have a very low endotoxin content of <10 EU/ml. The LAL test is the most sensitive method of endotoxin measurement, whereby the endotoxin concentration is specified in the unit EU (endotoxin units) per ml. One EU corresponds to approximately 0.1 to 0.2 ng endotoxin/ml solution.

Our “Low Endotoxin” sera are therefore suitable for the cultivation of sensitive cells or hybridoma cells as well as for primary cell culture.