Treating cells with cytokines - Should you take out growth factors before treating? (Dec/04/2008 )

Is it necessary to use media that does not contatin any growth factors when treating your cells with cytokines (to study dose and time response)? I've seen some papers that state that they used growth factor-free media during treatment with cytokines.

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In most cases, cells were starved without serum or growth factors before cytokine stimulation. That will give clear idea that the particular response is due to not other than your cytokine.

In my cases, I have been using pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNFa, IL-1b, IL-8 and all of them have used in growth factors (serum or other particular growth factors) free conditions.

But all in all, the design is entirely depend on your hypothesis..what you gonna look and why??

Regards,

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Dear All,

So in the body we have cytokines working in areas where growth factors are absent????????????

I do not think so.

If you think about your experiments THEN DO THE APPROPRIATE CONTROLS.....both positive and negative.

I have always done my experiments (with cytokine stimulation) in NORMAL growth media. I look at enzyme induction in both animal and human cell lines and primaries. We then go and look at animal and human tissues....then go on further.

Cells are just the starting point but must reflect what goes on in the in vivo situation.....otherwise it is meaningless.

Hope this is useful

Rhombus

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