Details about RPMI-1640 - (Nov/16/2008 )

HII...
am new in cell culture.I plan to use RPMI-1640 for my HeLa cells.I want to know more about RPMI.Whether i should take RMPI with phenol red or not?
I know its better to use RPMI without glutamine but am not sure about phenol red?

can anyone suggest something here?Thanks

Phenol red is a pH indicator with weak oestrogenic activity. If you are new to cell culture, I would recommend that you use it as it can tell you a lot about how your cells are. Changes in colour indicate a variety of things - orange indicates that the pH is going down and usually means that your cells have used up all the nutrients. Purple indicated a rise in pH, often observed at the end of a bottle as the CO₂ concentration in the medium drops resulting in less acid conditions. Another cause could be bacterial contamination.

If you are looking at something that could be affected by oestrogen, then don't use it!