Alternatives to Fetal Bovine Serum
Alternatives to Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) in cell culture are substitutes or replacement solutions that can be used to replace FBS in culture media. Here are some commonly used alternatives:
- Serum from Bovine Adults: Serum derived from the blood of adult calves or cattle. It contains growth factors, nutrients, and other components that support cell growth.
- Human Serum: Human serum is obtained from human donors. It provides specific factors tailored to the growth of human cells and can be used in applications requiring a more physiological environment.
- Defined Serum-Free Media: These media are formulated without using animal serum. They contain chemically defined components such as growth factors, nutrients, and hormones necessary for cell growth.
- Serum Substitutes: There are several commercially available serum substitutes, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) and other proteins derived from non-animal sources. These substitutes provide essential components for cell growth without using animal serum.
- Conditioned Media: Conditioned media are culture media in which cells have been previously cultured. These media contain growth factors and components secreted by cells that can support the growth of other cells.
It is important to note that the choice of FBS alternative depends on the specific requirements of cell culture, the type of cell used, and the goals of the experiment. Preliminary tests are recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen alternative on target cells.
