IL-2 is provided in powder form. To prepare, I dilute in millipore water and make small aliquots. When preparing cell culture media, I add the IL-2 stock to the media. Then, I filter the mixture through 0.2uM pore size filter before using for cell culture. Is there anything wrong with this approach? Would it be better to add the IL-2 stock solution directly without filtering?
Theoretically yes as you'll loose some protein to the filter, practically it's unlikely to impact significantly your IL2 concentration especially with TC filters available nowadays. If you prepare your cytokines in sterile conditions, there is nothing against adding them afterward to the filtered medium.
If the medium you are using is protein-rich due to the presence of FBS, it is unlikely that the IL-2 concentration in the medium will be significantly altered by filtration, because any non-specific protein binding sites on the filter will be blocked by the much more abundant FBS.
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