Positive Displacement Pipette and Tips for Mucosal Sampling

Harvard Medical School
Vaccine & Virology Research
Research Fellow

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Gilson

Product Name:

Microman M100

Catalog Number:

F148504

There are multiple techniques for the sampling of murine vaginal mucosa, including PVA swabs and PBS washing. For minimal invasiveness and speed, PBS washing is often employed depending on local animal facility guidelines. This positive displacement pipette, when used with its corresponding tips, provide a convenient and minimally invasive method for vaginal PBS washing.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

In vivo mucosal sampling

Starting Material

None

Protocol Overview

Using the pipette's corresponding tips, 33 ul of PBS is used to wash the murine vaginal vault three times, obtaining a final volume of ~100 ul. The mucosal wash is kept on ice and centrifuged at 10000 rpm for 10 min at 0C to pellet cellular debris before the supernatent is stored at -20C until required (for ELISAs for example). Mice need to be remained anaesthetised during the period of the procedure (approx 2 mins).

Tips

Change PBS source between murine groups, and change tips between individual mice.

Results Summary

Consistent volumes of around 100 ul are obtained following the three 33 ul PBS washes. If samples are treated properly and kept on ice and subsequently frozen, total IgG and total IgA concentrations are consistent between mice and murine strains using this sampling method. The speed and ease of use, along with the minimal distress and physical invasiveness make this an attractive mucosal sampling procedure.

Features Summary

Can hold volumes from 10 to 100 ul

Additional Notes

None

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Summary

The Good

Functionality, design and speed of delivery

The Bad

None

The Bottom Line

An essential pipette for the minimally invasive procedure of sampling murine vaginal mucosa by PBS washing.

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