I am using culture media to dissolve my drug as the drug is not stable in DMSO, so I am keeping fresh drug solution for when I want to carry any experiment (cytotoxicity, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assay, etc.). Can I prepare stock solution of my drug and store it in 4c or -20c, like what I do when I am using DMSO? Is this drug solution contaminated or unstable to be stored for long period?
Dear Bashir,
Making a stock solution of any drug in cell culture media especially if the media contain serum is not advisable as the drug may interact with the media components which may decrease half life of the drug. you may dissolve your drug in some Isotonic solution like normal saline or PBS if the volume is less otherwise you use media without serum.
1. You say the drug to be insoluble in DMSO and soluble in media, wondering why not in water which makes up the media.
2. The media (animal cell culture) in general cannot be stored for more than 2 weeks, depending on the stability of its components. Some turn colour showing the change in pH. Such change in conditions like pH can affect your drug properties. I would not recommend storage in such a medium rather than a well characterized solution or chemically neutral/stable one like water.
3. There is an inherent problem here in your condition. Media is meant to be for growth of organisms. In case you have sterilised (filter) your media the drug can be there for some time (few days).
You can prepare drug stock solution in phosphate buffer as suggested by Kumpal or try other defined buffer solution in case when your drug is not stable/soluble (in higher concentration) in phosphate buffer.
Dear Bashir
Generally we prefer to use drugs in fresh media , and do not dissolve it in complete media (that may leads to the instability of many drug). Better as advised by many you can dissolve it in iso tonic solution or best in water and can keep it in -20.
Hi, Bashir, answer to your question is largely dependent from the drug nature, solubility, stabilty. If drug not stable in polar solvent (water-medium), you have to use only freshly prepared one. Please, erember that some drug was stable in water, but may be not stable in the presence of some protein, ions etc. If you drung have a high solubilty, you can prepare stock (x100- or even x1000) in buffer and keep as small aliquots at -20 C. I would not sugegst to repeatedly freesing-defreezing, it may have effect on drug stability.
So, please, frist cjhcecl in the literature chemical properties of your compound, including its stability. Good luck!
Hello Bashir, i had almost a similar kind of question here, few days back , the only difference is my drugs are soluble in DMSO, but we make working concentrations, in cell media ( take a note that we use serum free media for this as Debashish Paul says).
For reference you can visit this link
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Should_serum_be_added_to_drug_dilutions_made_in_cell_culture_media2
Resuspend your drug in 1XPBS in required concentrations, make single use aliquots store it at -20 C or -80 C. Use these aliquots as required.
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