In the manual of BioRad for electroporation cuvettes, the standard use for these materials are once. But in our lab, we are inclined to reduce the cost by re-using our electroporation cuvettes.
I am wondering how many times can I use the electroporation cuvettes for electro-transformation before it loses its viability to transform plasmid to electro-competent cells.
If we can use it a couple of times (in the next 6 months) before buying new set. How can we maintain its condition? Before I tried to wash with deionized water and autoclave them, but it creates crack on the cuvettes.
But these days, after we perform electroporation, we wash it with deionized water, 70% ethanol and then put it inside the clean bench with UV turned on. What do you think about this?
We re-used cuvettes for bacterial transformation at uni. I think we washed them with ethanol and deionized water. There definitely was no autoclave or uv step (guess that will depend on what your are doing);)
We just re-used them till they wouldn't work anymore (3-5 times?) - then you usually hear an audible "pop" or "bang" (same thing that will happen if your cuvette is not dried properly).
Worked quite well for us.
@M. Nazir, the Bio-rad electroporation cuvettes are cheap, but if you want to find some thing cheaper try checking through USA Scientific and VWR International. I find VWR's cuvettes inexpensive.
But that is here in the USA, try searching your domestic biotech supplier companies wherever your home country is... I am not 100% sure if they supply to other countries. Good luck!
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