Charcoal-Stripped Fetal Bovine Serum
Charcoal-stripped fetal bovine serum is processed to remove endogenous steroid hormones, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, and lipids that would otherwise introduce background hormonal signal into sensitive assay systems, while preserving the growth factors and proteins your cell culture depends on.
Charcoal-stripped FBS is a specialty product. Samples are not typically provided. Inquire about special arrangements for your application.
What Is Charcoal-Stripped FBS?
Charcoal-stripped FBS is fetal bovine serum that undergoes treatment with activated charcoal and dextran as adsorbents to remove small hydrophobic molecules from raw serum. The compounds extracted include estrogens, androgens, progesterone, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, and lipids. High-molecular-weight components are retained, so growth factors, structural proteins, and the nutrients that support cell proliferation remain intact after the stripping process.
Benefits of Charcoal-Stripped FBS:
Removes Endogenous Hormonal Signal
Depletes steroid hormones, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, and lipids that would otherwise activate hormone-sensitive receptors and confound dose-response data.
Preserves Growth-Promoting Properties
Targets low-molecular-weight compounds while retaining the high-molecular-weight proteins, growth factors, and nutrients that support normal cell viability and proliferation in culture.
Establishes a Clean Experimental Baseline
Provides the hormone-depleted baseline conditions that steroid receptor assays, hormone-responsive reporter systems, and hormone-dependent cell line studies require for reliable results.
Stringent Sterile Filtration
Manufactured in ISO 13485-certified facilities and filtered through triple 0.1 micron membranes to support sterility, consistency, and lab-ready performance.
Reproducible Lot-to-Lot Consistency
Every lot is thoroughly tested and documented before shipment to help ensure consistent stripping performance, dependable cell growth, and reliable experimental results.
Regulatory Compliance
Sourced from USDA-approved suppliers and manufactured under ISO-certified quality systems with full documentation and traceability for regulated and audit-sensitive environments.
Why Standard FBS Interferes With Hormone and Steroid Studies
Standard FBS contains a measurable concentration of endogenous hormones. Estrogens, androgens, progesterone, thyroid hormones, and glucocorticoids are naturally present in unstripped serum at levels sufficient to activate hormone-sensitive receptors in cell culture. When a study depends on isolating receptor activation in response to a specific ligand, residual serum hormones produce a background signal that cannot be separated from the experimental treatment.
Reporter systems using hormone-responsive promoters cannot distinguish between the signal from an applied compound and that from residual hormones in the medium. Hormone-dependent cell lines cultured in standard FBS exhibit baseline proliferation driven in part by serum-derived hormones, making dose-response measurements inconsistent across experiments. For these protocols, the serum supplement is a source of contamination, not just a growth medium.
Charcoal-stripped FBS resolves this by depleting the interfering compounds before the serum reaches the culture system.
What Research Applications Require Charcoal-Stripped FBS?
Any protocol where endogenous serum hormones would confound results requires charcoal-stripped serum as the culture supplement. Compatible applications include:
Steroid-receptor and nuclear receptor research
Vero cell growth assays
Glucocorticoid receptor research
Endocrine disruption screening
Hormone-dependent cell line studies
Reporter assays using hormone-responsive promoters
Thyroid hormone pathway studies
Lipid-sensitive assays requiring reduced serum lipid background,
Charcoal-Stripped FBS Product Specifications
SeraPrime: Your Source for High-Quality, Charcoal-Stripped FBS
At SeraPrime, we supply charcoal-stripped FBS that meets the precise requirements of hormone-sensitive research. Every lot undergoes rigorous quality control, triple 0.1 micron sterile filtration, and full documentation, so your assay starts with a verified hormone-depleted baseline.
Whether you are running steroid receptor studies, hormone-responsive reporter assays, or hormone-dependent cell line experiments, SeraPrime provides the consistency, traceability, and responsive service your protocols require.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more commonly asked questions about Fetal Bovine Serum, visit our Resources page or read our FBS FAQ guide.
Does charcoal-dextran treatment affect cell growth performance?
Charcoal-stripped FBS supports normal cell viability and proliferation for most cell lines used in hormone-sensitive applications. The treatment removes low-molecular-weight hormones and lipids but does not remove the high-molecular-weight proteins, growth factors, and nutrients responsible for cell growth. As with any specialty serum, SeraPrime recommends lot-testing against your specific cell lines before committing to a full order.
What does charcoal-dextran treatment remove from FBS?
The treatment removes steroid hormones including estrogens, androgens, and progesterone, as well as thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, lipids, and other low-molecular-weight hydrophobic compounds. High-molecular-weight components including growth factors and structural proteins are retained. Lot-specific data is available on the Certificate of Analysis for every lot SeraPrime ships.
Is charcoal-stripped FBS available with heat inactivation or other add-on treatments?
Yes. Charcoal-stripped FBS is available with heat inactivation upon request for applications also requiring complement removal. Custom volumes and treatment combinations can be arranged through SeraPrime’s custom order process. Contact our team to confirm availability and lead time for your specifications.
How does charcoal-stripped FBS differ from standard FBS for Vero cell assays?
Vero cell growth assays are a confirmed application for charcoal-dextran treated serum. Standard FBS contains hormone concentrations sufficient to influence assay readouts in hormone-sensitive systems. Charcoal-stripped serum removes that variable, allowing Vero cell assays and other hormone-dependent protocols to respond to the intended stimulus rather than background serum signal. SeraPrime’s fetal bovine serum product line includes both standard and specialty-treated options depending on your application requirements.
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