Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Detecting, Visualizing and Quantitating the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in an Amoeba Model System
Published on: November 5, 2013
Oxidation and generation of hydrogen peroxide by thiol compounds in commonly used cell culture media
1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Medical Drive, MD7 03-15, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore, 119260.
Abstract:
Many studies have examined the effects of thiol compounds upon cells in culture (e.g., upon signal transduction and regulation of gene expression), but few have considered how thiols can interact with cell culture media. A wide range of thiols (cysteine, GSH, N-acetylcysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, cysteinylglycine, cysteamine, homocysteine) were found to interact with three commonly used cell culture media (RPMI, MEM, DMEM) to generate hydrogen peroxide with complex concentration-dependencies. Thiols added to these media rapidly disappeared, although less H(2)O(2) was generated on a molar basis than the amount of thiol lost. Studies on cellular effects of thiols, especially those on redox regulation of gene expression or protein function, need to take into account that thiols are rapidly lost, and that their oxidation generates H(2)O(2), which can have multiple concentration-dependent effects on cell metabolism.
More Related Videos
08:57Simultaneous Measurement of Superoxide/Hydrogen Peroxide and NADH Production by Flavin-containing Mitochondrial Dehydrogenases
Published on: February 24, 2018
03:35Rapid Quantification of Oxidized and Reduced Forms of Glutathione Using Ortho -phthalaldehyde in Cultured Mammalian Cells In Vitro
Published on: June 28, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Preparation and Reactions of Thiols
Peroxisomes
Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox property is crucial in...
Radical Autoxidation
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns