Hi everyone. We have been using charcoal-stripped FBS in our lab for many years now but are considering switching to non-stripped FBS and stripping it ourselves because it is significantly cheaper. I am, however, unsure if the stripping process is actually necessary for the things that we usually test in our lab.
We primarily work with FXR, which is a bile acid-activated transcription factor (not yet known to be activated by estrogens), and test it using reporter assays in HeLa. I have looked at the specification sheets of both stripped and non-stripped FBS and the only difference I found was the absence/presence of estrogens and a small variation in amounts of other components.
I would definitely appreciate any input from you all. Thanks!
Hello Arumay Biswas
Yes, you are right. Charcoal-stripped FBS nearly completely removes hormonal factors like estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, testosterone, T3, and T4 and reduces the concentration of certain growth factors, vitamins, and metabolites. So, you may use charcoal-stripped FBS when you are studying processes influenced by steroid hormones (estrogen stimulation, obesity process, etc.) and other research topics that benefit from reduced hormone levels.
You are working on FXR, which you mentioned is not yet known to be activated by estrogen. I am not sure since I have not gone through the literature. If this is true, then you need not use charcoal-stripped FBS. But in studies of hormone-responsive cells to mimic hormone-free conditions, you may have to switch over to charcoal-stripped FBS.
Best.