I'm working with HEI-OC1 cells of the inner ear. Recently I'm seeing these round particles in the flask (picture attached), but cells' morphology and growth seems normal. However, there are floating dead cells visible in the flask.
Is this some kind of contamination? I have cleaned everything and thawed a new batch of cells, but they still look the same. Could there be a contamination in the nitrogen tank?
Thanks for your help!
Most likely these are dead or dying cells on the verge of separation from the monolayer or substrate
This does not resemble contamination - it usually manifests itself in various forms of clouding of the environment. It seems to me that these are all dying cells that have not yet had time to detach from the substrate
To reduce the amount of apoptosis, it is possible (I have no experience working with these particular cells) that FBS (either the manufacturer or the percentage of FBS content) should be changed.
Hi Bahar Ksh ,
Besides the FBS, perhaps reduce the level of confluence before passaging the cells. Picture 1 shows a side of the plate that is already confluent (perhaps, this is subjective), so this may contribute to cell death. Some cells are sensitive, and they will start to detach and die/lose shape if cultured a bit past their optimal confluence
Best of luck!
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Phytochemistry
- Extracts