CAPTiCLEAN™ Prevents Cell Culture Contamination at the Source

The warm and humid environment inside CO₂ incubators creates conditions that are perfect for microbial growth. Contamination can be disastrous for cell cultures; therefore, researchers must diligently monitor and prevent microbes’ introduction and spread. The CAPTiCLEAN™ Solution from Captivate Bio is an important preventative, as it stops contaminants from flourishing within CO₂ incubator water trays.

Contaminating microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast, negatively influence mammalian cultures as they compete for resources or directly damage neighboring cells. While fungal and most bacterial contamination can be easily spotted by visual changes within a culture, the presence of slow-growing and difficult-to-detect microbes can go unnoticed and are often hard to eradicate. In particular, mycoplasma neither create turbid culture media nor greatly disturb mammalian cell growth rates. They spread easily from culture to culture within an incubator and are resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

Persistent exposure of mammalian cell cultures to contaminants can unknowingly alter experimental results by altering gene expression and protein synthesis, damaging cellular components, or even causing mutations. Therefore, in addition to routine testing, scientists must be proactive about incubator maintenance and cleanliness.

Captivate Bio’s CAPTiCLEAN™ Solution is a simple-to-use disinfectant for CO₂ incubators, allowing researchers to prevent and treat bacterial, fungal, yeast, and algal contamination in water trays. The solution’s antimicrobial and fungicidal properties are tough on contaminants yet gentle on equipment and sensitive cell cultures. Formulated for laboratory use, it is non-volatile, non-corrosive, and non-toxic, making it safe for a range of cell types, including stem cells and engineered cell lines.

Using CAPTiCLEAN™ is easy. First, thaw a new bottle at 4^oC and aseptically aliquot the solution into smaller working volumes using 15 mL or 50 mL conical tubes. For future use, freeze the aliquots at -20^oC. Next, remove the incubator pan, discard the old water, thoroughly clean the tray, and fill it with fresh, purified water. Then, simply add 10 mL of thawed CAPTiCLEAN™ solution for each liter of water within the pan. After reinserting the tray into the CO₂ incubator, log the date of treatment in the lab records.

This treatment is long lasting, as a single 100 mL bottle of CAPTiCLEAN™ will maintain water quality for 4-6 weeks. Using this disinfectant solution on a regular basis in addition to following best practices to maintain sterility will keep microbial contamination at bay, preserving even the most sensitive cell cultures.

Learn more about the CAPTiCLEAN™ Solution here.