The Benefits of Using Molecular Biology Water in Cell Culture Media
In molecular biology, the reagents and media used during experiments should be of high quality to yield precise results. One of the most overlooked reagents, which plays a huge role in cell culture techniques, is water. Particularly molecular biology grade water.
In this blog, we will discuss the importance of adding molecular biology water to your cell culture media, the benefits it provides, and how it improves experimental results.
What is Molecular Biology Grade Water?
Molecular biology water is highly purified water treated so that different kinds of contaminants and impurities interfering with sensitive biological experiments are removed. Unlike the usual distilled or deionized water, molecular biology grade water is further filtered through activated charcoal and reverse osmosis, along with ultra-purification methods, to remove contaminants such as proteins, nucleic acids, salts, etc.
Why Use Molecular Biology Water In Cell Culture Media?
The technique of cell culture is the backbone of most biological research since it nurtures and cultivates cells in controlled environments. The use of molecular biology grade water in the preparation of cell culture media guarantees the absence of contaminants that may interfere with cell growth, its function, or experimental outcome.
⦁ Prevention of Contamination
The main benefit of using molecular biology grade water is that you are able to avoid contamination. Any trace amount of chemicals, minerals, or organic material could harm cell cultures. Such contaminants may introduce variables into your experiment, and results will not be reliable. Molecular biology grade water is very stringently tested and purified to ensure the absence of these contaminants and is suitable for use in preparations of cell culture media.
⦁ Increased Cell Growth and Viability
Water quality directly affects cell culture results. Molecular biology grade water is used to ensure the pH, osmolarity, and ionic balance of the media during the experiment, all elements crucial for having maximally healthy cell growth. If these balances get disrupted, the cell gets stressed, which may result in stunted growth or gene expression anomalies. By using high-quality water, researchers are able to maintain healthy cell cultures and consequently improve the success rate of experiments.
⦁ Compatibility with PBS
Phosphate-buffered saline, commonly abbreviated as PBS, is widely used in cell cultures to wash the cells, provide an osmotic balance, and establish a stable medium. PBS is a buffering agent. Preparation is completely dependent on the purity of the water used. This means that if the water has impurities, it can react with the salts or components of a buffer in PBS, thereby altering its composition and effectiveness. Preparation of PBS with molecular biology water ensures that the solution does not degrade or become ineffective in the growth of cell cultures.
Benefits of Molecular Biology Water
⦁ Sterilization for Use: molecular biology water is sterilized in order to exclude contaminants that may interfere with the growth of cells.
⦁ Healthy cells: it also helps maintain healthy viable cells for your successful experiment.
⦁ Reagents compatibility: while preparing solutions like PBS, molecular biology water offers compatibility and exclusion of contaminants that may interfere with the cell operations.
Conclusion
In cell culture studies, the quality of water used in biological experiments is the most ignored but crucial aspect of success. The water used for preparing molecular biology in cell culture media prevents contamination while assisting cell growth. Be it preparing a PBS in biology or any other component of a culture media, proper selection of good-quality water ensures optimal results in your cell culture experiments.
At PurMa Biologics LLC, we offer first-quality reagents so your research can reach the best results imaginable.
