Common Reagents and Medium for Mammalian Cell Culture

This chapter describes all common materials and reagents necessary for mammalian cell culture. Mammalian cells are normally present in tissues and organs. These cells attach to the extracellular matrix (ECM). So, cell-dissociating agents are highly essential to detach cells from the tissues/organs. Most mammalian cells are adherent in nature, except for some blood cells (e.g., B and T lymphocytes). The next important material needed for mammalian cell culture is cell adhesive agents which are extremely essential for the attachment of mammalian cells with culture vessels (Petri plate/flasks). The most important material necessary for mammalian cell culture is the medium and its various necessary constituents. A complete cell culture medium contains all the necessary materials needed for the proliferation and growth of mammalian cells such as carbohydrates (e.g., glucose), protein/peptides (e.g., amino acids), lipids (fatty acids and glycerol), minerals, vitamins, hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and other materials. One of the most important components of the cell culture medium is a fetal bovine serum (FBS) or fetal calf serum (FCS) which contains many of the constituents of the mammalian cell culture medium. However, low serum or serum-free media are also used in particularly large-scale cell cultures for industrial purposes. The need for the above-mentioned materials and their relative quantity may vary from one type of cell to another, and therefore, various types of cell culture media have been developed with varying compositions. Finally, various buffers necessary for isolation, culture, and maintenance of mammalian cells are also mentioned.