Protocol Online logo
Top : New Forum Archives (2009-): : -Cell Biology-

Left media in water bath overnight - (Jun/15/2014 )

So I was planning to go in yesterday to change the media on my cells, but I didn't.  The lab technician thought I would be able to come in at the last minute so she left Cell dissociation buffer (trypsin), complete media with puromycin, and DMEM media containing both penn strep and FBS media out.   She left around 12 pm for the day, and I wanted to know if any of these medias were still good.  I didn't know that she possibly had left any media out until around 1 am.   But I got early this morning and put all the media back in the fridge.   I could really use some help!!!!

-Debria-

The trypsin is probably fine, but the media all contain labile compounds that degrade quite rapidly at 37 - these will probably have gone off and as such you should throw them out.

 

Note that in the lab a good general rule is: "If in doubt, throw it out!"  This is so because if you doubt the things now - how will they affect your work? Is there a chance that they will alter any results you get?  Would you trust those results?  -so you save time and money by throwing suspect things out, and making sure that your conditions are ideal each time you do an experiment.

-bob1-