DMEM/F12 Media (original) (raw)

Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium F12 (DMEM F12)

Four bottles of DMEM F12 Media, containing an orange liquid.

In recent years, researchers have reported the culture of a variety of cell lines in serum-free media that contains a supplement of nutrients, growth factors, and hormones in the place of serum. Mather and Sato (BBRC, 1985) reported the successful cultivation of Leydig and Sertoli cells in serum-free medium that contained insulin, transferrin, epidermal growth factor, leutinizing hormone or follicle stimulating hormone, somatomedin, and growth hormone.

Although the hormones and their concentrations are specific for the type of cell under study, the medium found to be optimal for these studies was a 1:1 mixture of Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) and Ham's F-12 Nutrient Mixture. This mixture known as DMEM/F12 medium contains 21 amino acids, 10 vitamins, glucose, iron, and zinc, among other components.

DMEM/F12 is a richer and more complex media than DMEM. HEPES buffer can be also included in the formulation at a final concentration of 15 mM to compensate for the loss of buffering capacity that is incurred by eliminating serum. This synthetic medium does not contain any serum, proteins, lipids, or growth factors and thus may require supplementation with fetal bovine serum (FBS) depending on the type of cell culture. Some commercial formulations may or may not include glutamine or phenol red.

DMEM/F12 Applications

The advanced basal media DMEM/F12 is often used in applications that require low-serum or serum-free media, such as 3D organoid culture or stem cell culture. DMEM/f12 media can also be used to help optimize cellular transfections that require low-serum or serum-free conditions.

In additional to stem cell culture, which often require a reduced serum or serum-free environment, primary cells can be cultured in DMEM/F12 media. This includes fibroblasts, MDCK cells, neuronal cell lines, glial cells, and smooth muscle cells, which exhibit equivalent or superior growth and function to primary cells that were supplemented with high concentrations of serum. Cells cultured with DMEM/F12 media also display the same cell morphology as cells cultured in high serum conditions.

Related Product Categories

FBS, or fetal bovine serum (also called FCS) is one of the most important supplements for mammalian cell culture. Choose FBS grade based on documentation requirements and application specificity.

Cell culture supplements enable the customization of media with defined characteristics to support specific applications and serum-free culture needs. Our culture-grade supplements include ITS formulations, amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics, and reagents qualified for hybridoma and insect cell culture.

Origin-certified, quality-controlled cell culture sera include FBS, other bovine sera, human serum, and sera from diverse animal species, rigorously screened for contaminants and performance-tested in culture.

Boost cell growth using essential hormones: insulin, dexamethasone, β-Estradiol, and others. Elevate your cell culture success.

Cell lines from human and other mammalian species are essential for modeling disease and biological systems, and are critical tools for protein, antibody, virus, and vaccine production. We offer authenticated, contaminant-free cell lines, many in partnership with ECACC.

Primary cells are derived directly from living tissue and closely replicate the physiology of biological systems. Our collection includes blood, patient tumor xenografts, and hepatocytes essential for drug screening and ADME/Tox studies.

ES and iPS cell-qualified products offer reliable culture solutions for stem cell researchers, including media and differentiation tools.

Next-gen Stericup® Quick Release: upgraded design enhances usability, streamlines filtration, safeguards cell cultures with Millipore® membranes.

Related Applications

Culture media preparation for in vitro cell cultivation including preparation of different media formats, sterilization methods, cell growth and regulation supplements, media storage and use.

Applications, principles, and methods for in vitro mammalian cell culture including links to articles, protocols, and videos for proper aseptic technique, passaging and subculturing, and culture media considerations.

Cultivate mammalian primary cells for ADME/Tox screening, maintaining physiological relevance for accurate results.

An overview of different stem cell types, stem cell culture basics and stem cell applications in basic research and clinical research applications, such as tissue regeneration, genetic diseases and cancer.

Explore scaffold and scaffold-free methods for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, including organoids and spheroids.

A synopsis of the conditions, media, nutrients, cultureware, and environments required for successful propagation of mammalian and yeast cells. Nutrient reagents, sterile technique and filtration, and requirements for 2D, 3D, and suspension cultures are described.

Expert tips for correcting common problems with cell culture including bacterial and fungal contamination, debris in culture media, cell detachment or clumping, slow growth, and low viability.

Sign In To Continue

To continue reading please sign in or create an account.

Don't Have An Account?