Media supplements help to optimize cell growth for specific applications depending on the chosen tissue or cell type. The advantages of using media supplements such as growth factors or cytokines are that they may improve cell viability and growth and keep cells healthier for longer. For example, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) plays important roles in diverse biological functions in vivo and in vitro and can maintain cell culture over the weekend as Proteintech thermostable FGF (HZ-1285) does not require media changes every day.
 | The stability of FGFbasic-TS and FGF basic (E. coli-derived) in xeno-free, chemically defined cell culture media at 37˚C. The protein concentration was determined by ELISA each day for 3 days. After one day of incubation at 37˚C, FGF basic was undetectable, while FGFbasic-TS was present at levels of 60%, 35%, and 20% of its starting concentration at days 1, 2, and 3. |
Growth factors play an essential role to maintain the in vitro culture growth. Depending on the environment, certain cells can give rise to a variety of lineage-specific cell types. See below a summary of the key growth factors needed for normal cell growth, metabolism, cell development in culture and their differentiation process.
| Supplement | Cat no | Involved in/used for |
| Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) | HZ-1285 | Embryonic development, neuron differentiation, and the proliferation of cells of mesodermal origin and many cells of neuroectodermal, ectodermal, and endodermal origin. |
| Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) | HZ 1128HZ-1045 | Bone formation and regeneration.Uses as differentiationfactor of pluripotent stem cellsand promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells |
| Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) | HZ-1084 | Epithelial-mesenchymal transition.Acts as a mitogen for many cell types including hepatocytes |
| Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) | HZ-1002 | Promoting growth and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.Used to support the in vitrocolony formation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitors. |
| Activin A | HZ-1138 | Regulating cell proliferation.Used to maintainstem cell pluripotency and self-renewal in vitro |
| Beta-nerve growth factor (beta NGF) | HZ-1222 | Differentiation and survival of neurons |
| Stem cell factor (SCF) | HZ-1024 | Promoting survival, expansion,and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. |
| Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) | HZ-1011HZ-1092HZ-1090 | Regulating cell growth, proliferation,and differentiation.Widely used, e.g.,in undifferentiated embryonic stem cellcultureand induced pluripotent stem cells |
| Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF121 and VEGV165) | HZ-1204HZ-1038 | Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.Used in endothelial cell culture. |
| Wnt3a | HZ-1296 | Regulation of neuronal stem cell self-renewal.Used in expansion of neural stem cells |