Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 Medium is unique from other media because it contains the reducing agent glutathione and high concentrations of vitamins, including certain vitamins not found in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium or Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium.
Gibco RPMI 1640 Medium has been found suitable for a variety of mammalian cells, including HeLa, Jurkat, MCF-7, PC12, PBMC, astrocytes, and carcinomas.
RPMI 1640 Medium contains the reducing agent glutathione as well as biotin, vitamin B12, and PABA, which are vitamins not found in Eagle’s Minimal Essential Medium or Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium. In addition, RPMI 1640 media includes high concentrations of the vitamins inositol and choline. Because RPMI 1640 contains no proteins, lipids, or growth factors, it is commonly supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). The sodium bicarbonate buffer system used in RPMI 1640 allows for maintenance of physiological pH in a 5–10% CO2 environment.
Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a variety of modifications to RPMI composition for a range of cell culture applications—view an example of a detailed RPMI formulation here. Learn about additional RPMI formulation options using our Gibco Media selection tool.
Take your cell culture to the next level with enhanced RPMI 1640 formulations. Explore the following formulations that can help improve your cell viability, serum supplementation, and cold storage constraints.
Gibco Advanced RPMI 1640 Medium is formulated with ingredients that reduce the need for serum supplementation by 50–90%, lowering your costs and increasing consistency in your cell culture with fewer lot-to-lot serum changes.
Gibco BenchStable RPMI 1640 Medium is engineered for storage at room temperature, saving your cold storage space while supporting cell proliferation and densities comparable to standard RPMI 1640 formulations.
Gibco RPMI 1640 with GlutaMAX supplement contains a stable form of L-glutamine that does not spontaneously degrade in culture, preventing ammonia build up and improving cell health and viability.
If you require a custom RPMI 1640 formulation for your cell culture experiments, our media customization services can provide you with the media you need, including custom components, packaging, and QC testing.
Gibco cell culture products are manufactured in facilities compliant with current good manufacturing practices (GMP) and adhere to a robust quality management system, helping to ensure the consistency, reliability, and high quality you can rely on.
We are committed to delivering products that serve the research needs of our customers, while striving to develop them in a way that minimizes our use of natural resources and our impact on the environment.
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