We currently use soapy water and rinse out the chambers and inserts (Physiologic Instruments apparatus). Is there a better way to clean the chambers out? Will residual detergent affect our measurements? Should we use a solvent to eliminate possible contaminants?
In my experience using soap almost always leaves residual deposit of detergent, no matter how carefully you rinse out the chambers. I would suggest using 60%-70% ethanol (diluted in double distilled water) or acetone (in an extreme case) to wash and rinse several times with dd water.
After soap and water, I rinse chambers with 100% ethanol and leave them air-dried.
First, I need to know what materials make up parts of the Ussing chamber. Glass, lucite, what tubing and what types. This determines what chemicals might stick and where in the system. We have had trouble with both forskolin and certain inhibitors sticking in the system and causing artifactual results in the next set of monolayers to be run. Copious amounts of water is a start between runs and different types of mild solvents can be used in sequence, depending on your perceived problem.
Soap is not good. Agree with other entries below. I need to ask my team what their current practice is. There are some papers by Lane Clarke et al. (LL Clarke, a good friend of mine) that talk about varied practices for cleaning Ussing chambers between runs. You must also be concerned about solvent effects in subsequent runs. Residual soap leaves many variables and depends on the soap you use, etc.
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