Comparison of culture media supplements identifies serum components in self-reported serum-free preparations
Delabie W., Vandewalle V., Seghers S., De Bleser D., Vandekerckhove P., Feys HB.
Animal Study, published in Stem Cell Res Ther (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Animal Study
- Journal
- Stem Cell Res Ther (2025)
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- Europe PMC
- PMID
- 40859293
- PMCID
- PMC12382287
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13287-025-04561-6
- Citations
- 1
Abstract (original English)
BACKGROUND: Cell culture media are essential for cell expansion and many cells still depend on blood-derived supplements for optimal growth. From a regulatory perspective, these materials are ideally xeno-free, serum-free or even chemically defined. However, differences in composition and in performance are seldom clear from the terminology used in this field. METHODS: Therefore, we set out to investigate the presence of serum in seven serum-free media (SFM) and link that information to the performance and cost. We used fetal bovine serum and five human platelet lysate preparations (hPL) for comparison. RESULTS: Our data show significant differences in growth factor content between categories, but this did not correlate with mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) growth kinetics or maximal cell yield. Myeloperoxidase, glycocalicin and fibrinogen, derived from human leukocytes, platelets and plasma were detected at significant levels in 2 from 7 SFM. MSC cultured in these two SFM had a CD44-phenotype akin to hPL, essentially reclassifying them as hPL. Most SFM supported MSC expansion well, but some did not. In contract, all hPL supported MSC growth. The cost of SFM is significantly higher than hPL. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that terminology regarding serum presence can be misleading. The cost-performance balance is best for hPL at this moment.
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
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