Parafilm-M®, An Available Cost-Effective Alternative for Immuno-blot Pouches

Commercially available standard immuno-blot pouches do play an efficient role in antibody incubation in performing an immuno-blot, but are not readily available in the laboratory and have to be specifically ordered. We have developed an equally efficient technique to make an immune-blot more cost-effective with more conservation of antibodies by using a common and readily available laboratory product Parafilm-M(®). Parafilm-M(®) which serves as a sealant for various items of laboratory equipment can be used for antibody incubation. Manually made Parafilm-M(®) pouch has a clear advantage over standard immuno-blot pouches in terms of availability, cost-effectiveness, and consumption of antibodies that ultimately reduces the cost of an immuno-blot. We have performed a series of experiments to check the efficacy of both the techniques. Samples with equal amount of protein were analyzed on separate SDS PAGE gels. The proteins were transferred electrophoretically to the nitrocellulose membrane using Trans-Blot(®) Turbo™ Mini Nitrocellulose Transfer Pack. Antibody incubation was done using standard immuno-blot pouch, standard container and Parafilm-M(®) sealed pouch. The expression of protein was determined and the results of immuno-blots were compared. We found that antibodies are binding the membrane in Parafilm-M(®) pouches as efficiently as in container method or in standard immuno-blot pouches. By restricting the membrane, the surface area of the manually made Parafilm-M(®) pouch can be reduced, less diluent is required to cover the membrane as a result less antibodies are consumed. We also calculated that each immuno-blot pouch cost around $0.1906, whereas the cost for Parafilm-M(®) pouch is 0.0695 which is almost one-third the price of an immuno-blot pouch. Thus, Parafilm-M(®) method distinctly provides a cost-effective solution for antibody incubation.