I’m culturing colon carcinoma cells in matrigel (BD 356231). There’s an odd crystal like structure appearing in the matrigel. A microbiologist has already determined that it isn’t an infection of any kind. Still it effects my cell growth. Does anyone know what this crystal structure is and how to get rid of it and prevent it returning?
Not sure but perhaps it is a supersaturated solute precipitating out of solution. Not sure what solute it could be. Try adding more and more buffer under the microscope--if i am right, then at some point the solute concentration will drop below critical and the crystals should dissolve.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001282
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004506
wow that paper is complete garbage! i'm not saying there aren't interesting geometric patterns in the tissues, but the "experiment" and the interpretation and the discussion are embarrassing--- NOT SCIENCE.
anyway Susanne, if you could send a photo of it that would help. not sure if you are able to upload photos here though.
Thanks for your help Jack. I've tried to up load a photo but didn't succeed so made it my profile picture
Very interesting observation! Could it be the mysterious metabolite from 1973... ;)
Toxic Metabolites Released From Rat Hepatoma Cells in Culture. I. Effects of Metabolites of Hepatomas on Various Cells. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (1973) 51(6): 1841-1844
Perhaps also of interest: Clin Chem. 2003 Jul;49(7):1133-8: Disease-related metabolites in culture medium of fibroblasts from patients with D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria, L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria, and combined D/L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria.
Btw, the second paper was written by a Dutch group ;)
Susanne, I've had this problem before, similar crystals too. We were not able to identify these crystals either, but when we found out that the Matrigel bottle was older than a year (even though within its expiration date), we chose to purchase a newer bottle and there was no issue in the second bottle. Jack Staunton might have a point about supersaturation. Repeated low temp exposure of the Matrigel tends to dehydrate it. We even saw these crystals coagulating into fibrillar mass. When we inquired BD Biosciences about these, they were not sure either, however did seem to turn the blame on the buffers we might have been using.
Thank you very much Devi, this is very helpful. I'll start a new bottle of matrigel immediately. Fingers crossed
Could be Polyetheyleneglycol (PEG) crystalizing, BD biosci does seem to incorporate some hydrogel matrix as part of the scaffold.
This is difficult without picture, but did you exclude fungal infection? These may also appear cristal like....
Hi Felix, thanks for thinking along. But as mentioned before I didn't suggested to upload a picture via this website so made it my profile picture. Next to that, a microbiologist excluded any microbiotic infection. Thanks for you help though.
Garbage right?? Well let me tell you one thing. These garbage were performed in Dubai in Biotechnology World Congress 2012 3 Nobel Winners were there· World Cancer Congress Beijing 2008· and what about you??? Mr Jack Staunton
Science and truth are not made by the same
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein
Read the references, all articles posted are about Surgical Pathology
Suzanne, did you ever determine what the spiky growth/crystal was? Susanne van Schelven
I am dealing with something that looks similar.
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