Has anyone got information about plastic tubing and the impact on stem cell growth? I am needing to change the tubing for the CO2 gas tank to the incubator and I want to avoid any potential harmful environments that may cause. I have some PVC tubing and silicone tubing. In previous labs I have worked in they have avoided using PVC as it could interact with some cleaning products and they were concerned that it could create a harmful culture environment. Does anyone else have any experience with this?
Hello Alice Chibnall ,
It all depends on the material properties (which you can look up to determine if it will work). However, there are some tubing products sold that are meant for this sort of application (screenshots attache) that might Interest you.
In general, you want a material that is CO2 resistant/impermeable, broadly chemically resistant/inert, wear-resistant, corrosion resistant, humidity resistant, and temperature resistant for typical operating condition. I have seen some things here and there that say silicone is a great plastic BUT can be permeable to CO2 gas, so I try not to use it just in case. I’ve never heard of PVC concerns but if you have any reason to believe it will react then perhaps looking into other options might be worthwhile. Aside from the products in the screenshots, I have used Teflon and coated (for more chemical resistance), reinforced silicone rubber tubing before without any harm.
Hope this helps!
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