Cell incubator

From ArticleWorld

Cell cultures require a very controlled environment for growth. Cell incubators are used to provide these growing conditions. Some of these conditions may include temperature, humidity as well as regulation of carbon dioxide levels and oxygen. These incubators find applications in experimental work related to cell and molecular biology. They may be utilized to culture bacterial as well as eukaryotic cells.

Incubator conditions

Incubators may run from temperatures of 28 ºC to 37 ºC dependent on the type of cells being cultured. For insect cell lines the temperature is set closer to the 28 ºC range. However for mammalian cells temperatures are set at 37 ºC with a CO2 level of about 5% and a slightly acidic environment.

Incubator types

There are generalized incubators available for cell culture if there is no need for a specialized type such as a CO2 incubator. These are available with air-jackets or with water-jackets. These are the envelopes on the outside of the chamber. The water-jackets are recommended for laboratories where there is a lot of variation in temperatures as this keeps the temperature inside the chamber more steady as opposed to the air chamber.

CO2 incubators have become more popular however as they strictly control the CO2 in the chamber while also controlling temperature and humidity. The incubator creates an ambient environment for the survival and propagation of the cells.

Recently, copper has been included in incubators as it reduces contamination. When the copper breaks down it forms copper oxide which is toxic to microbes and destroys them thus preventing sterility problems in the chambers. Another method to reduce the problem of bacterial and fungal growth is the use of water bath treatments fluids. Both these methods in combination with regular cleaning are essential to preventing contamination.