Iron-Supplemented Calf Serum, Heat Inactivated

Iron-Supplemented Calf Serum (ISCS) is produced from serum of 2 weeks to 12 months old formula fed calves and is supplemented with iron. Formula fed calf serum has exceptionally high levels of transferrin, and therefore the capacity to bind higher levels of iron. After supplementation with a ferric salt, Iron-Supplemented Calf Serum contains up to four times as much available iron and transferrin as Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). It can produce growth curves comparable to that of FBS in many cell culture systems. Proliferating cells require iron for bioenergetics and oxidation-reduction catalysis, including activation of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. Iron-Supplemented Calf Serum supports long-term growth of many cell types such as fibroblast-like, epithelial-like and lymphoid cell populations.

Serum products should be stored and handled correctly to assure long-term stability and to preserve growth performance consistency throughout its shelf-life. In addition, heat inactivation of serum is frequently desired to inactivate complement within the serum. Below are protocol links for serum storage/handling and heat inactivation.

Protocol for Fetal Bovine Serum Storage, Thawing, and Freezing.
Protocol for Heat Inactivation of Serum Products.

The objective of heat inactivation is to destroy complement activity in the serum without affecting the growth-promoting characteristics of the product. Removal of complement activity from the serum is not required for most cell cultures, but may be necessary for cultures that are sensitive to the complement activity. Since heat inactivation of the serum may, to some extent, decrease the growth performance properties of the serum, this procedure should only be performed if actually required for optimal cell growth. Researchers should evaluate the applicability of heat inactivation in regards to their own application. If heat inactivation is required, the process should be carefully controlled to avoid increased formation of crystalline and flocculent precipitates, gelling of serum proteins and excessive loss of growth performance. Significant damage to serum can occur when it is subjected to higher than required temperatures or heated over extended lengths of time.