Adult Bovine Serum: An Essential Component for Cell Culture Media
Serum is a component of cell culture media that provides nutrients, attachment and spreading factors needed to support cell growth. Adult bovine serum (ABS) is the most commonly used type of serum in cell culture procedures. This article discusses the main properties and uses of ABS.
Source and Collection
Adult bovine serum is collected from adult cattle during blood collection. Blood is collected from the jugular or other large veins in slaughterhouses in strictly controlled aseptic conditions. The blood is allowed to clot at room temperature and the resulting clot is removed. The serum fraction is then pooled from multiple animals and filtered to remove any contaminants before being frozen, packaged and distributed. Using serum from adult cattle helps minimize unwanted growth factors that can interfere with cell growth experiments.
Composition
ABS contains a rich mixture of proteins, growth factors, attachment factors, lipids, minerals and vitamins essential for cell growth. Some of the key components include albumin, globulins, fibrinogen, hormones, enzymes and attachment/spreading factors like fibronectin and vitronectin. The exact composition can vary between batches but ABS provides a well-defined, robust environment to support the growth of a wide variety of animal and human cell lines.
Benefits for Cell Culture
The complex protein mixture in ABS fulfills vital nutritional and attachment requirements for most cell types. Albumin acts as a carrier protein for hydrophobic molecules. Globulins provide binding sites for hormones, vitamins and minerals. Growth factors like insulin-like growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor promote proliferation. Attachment factors allow cells to remain anchored and spread out on substrate surfaces. Lipids provide energy sources while minerals and vitamins act as cofactors. Together, these components create favorable conditions for cell adhesion, growth and passaging.
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