I found some unopened FBS bottles stored at -20 degrees that expired in 2007. I do not plan to use this expired serum for cell culture, but I wonder if it can still be used for PBMC preservation in nitrogen.
Does anyone have used it before? If so, would you kindly share your experience in this regard?
Thank you
You can use, we were even using 10 years before expired optimem for transfection, even it was not efecting cultured cells. Since you will use it for cryopreservation, it is totaly okay.
It should be ok if it has not gone thru thaw-frozen cycle. In other words, it was frozen and thawing first time, should be OK
If your Expired FBS has not gone through freeze-thaw cycle, its perfectly OK to use the same for cryopreservation.
Before using the FBS now, you should make aliquotes of FBS and use it without hasitation.
All the best.
To all who have responded to this question, I have some questions for you.
- The expired FBS that you have used, are they lyophilised?
- Have you made any testing, like measurement of albumin content etc??
- Did you have any sort of cryoprotectant in your FBS solutions?
If not, how sure are you that one can use these solutions, and how easy you are all advicing to use it. Science always needs evidence, and I understand your declarations are based on observations without evidence.
So my advice to Renan Marrichi Mauch is to read published cryopreservation protocols and articles, make your own experimental design about freezing proteins and then decide on to use expired dated FBS. Most of the proteins remain unaffected in -20 degrees for a year or so, depending on the cryopreservation solution, only lyofilized ones stay without denaturation for longer periods.
I shared it from first hand experience. Also I have mentioned that the FBS must have not gone through freeze-thaw cycle (even once). It can be used.
And as of regular practice we cryopreserve cells in preserving media (90%FBS+10%DMSO).
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