Use of a Detergent–Acid Mixture to rupture Tissue Culture Cells

Abstract

IT is frequently necessary to rupture cells attached to glass in tissue culture, for purposes such as biochemical analyses of their contents, or release of intracellular bacteria. Physical methods (such as mechanical treatment, freezing and thawing, or ultrasonic vibration) are commonly used, but are not always adequate for every cell system: thus, macrophages attach themselves very firmly to glass and are completely ruptured only by ultrasonic vibration. Some ultrasonic vibrators, however, also rupture bacteria, or produce considerable local rises in temperature; moreover, the aerosol produced may be an objection to the use of this method for pathogenic micro-organisms.