Selecting an appropriate cell culture medium for experimental needs is crucial for the success of the experiment. It requires comprehensive consideration of multiple factors such as cell type, experimental purpose, and medium composition. The following are specific selection methods:

Primary Cells: Primary cells usually have higher requirements for culture media and often need specialized primary cell culture media. For example, endothelial cells require endothelial cell culture media that contains special growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor to promote the growth and maintain the characteristics of endothelial cells. Nerve cells need nerve cell culture media that can provide the nutrients and microenvironment necessary for the survival, growth, and differentiation of nerve cells.
Tumor Cells: Tumor cells generally grow at a relatively fast pace and have different nutritional requirements compared to normal cells. For instance, the leukemia cell line HL-60 grows well in RPMI 1640 medium, which contains multiple amino acids, vitamins, and carbohydrates and can meet its needs for rapid proliferation. The breast cancer cell line MCF-7 shows good growth status in DMEM medium. DMEM is rich in glucose and glutamine, which can provide sufficient energy and nitrogen sources for the metabolism and proliferation of tumor cells.
Stem Cells: Stem cell culture requires maintaining their stemness and pluripotency. Commonly used media such as mTeSR1 medium can be used for the culture of human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. It can maintain the undifferentiated state of stem cells without a feeder layer and preserve their self-renewal and differentiation potential.

Cell Proliferation Experiments: If the aim is to promote rapid cell proliferation, a culture medium rich in nutrients that can support vigorous cell growth should be chosen. For example, DMEM high-glucose medium has a relatively high glucose content and can provide more energy for cells. It is suitable for cells that need to proliferate in large numbers, such as the culture of hybridoma cells, enabling them to expand significantly in a short period.
Cell Differentiation Experiments: When inducing cell differentiation, a culture medium that can provide specific signals and nutritional conditions should be selected. For example, in the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons, a differentiation medium containing inducing factors such as retinoic acid can be used to prompt neural stem cells to differentiate into neurons and express neuron-specific markers.
Cytotoxicity Experiments: When conducting cytotoxicity experiments, the compatibility of the culture medium with the test substances and its basic support for cells should be considered. For instance, MEM medium has a relatively simple composition, which can reduce the interference between the components of the medium and the test substances and is beneficial for accurately assessing the cytotoxic effects of the test substances on cells.

Basic Nutritional Components: These include amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates, etc. Different cells have different requirements for these components. For example, certain insect cells need special insect culture media that contain nutrients from insect hemolymph, while plant cell culture requires MS medium containing macronutrients, micronutrients, organic components, and plant growth regulators.
Serum: Serum contains various growth factors, hormones, and nutrients that can promote cell growth and adhesion. However, the composition of serum is complex and there are differences between batches, which may affect the reproducibility of experimental results. Serum-free media can avoid these problems and are suitable for situations where high accuracy of experimental results is required. For example, in the production of monoclonal antibodies, using serum-free media can improve the yield and quality of antibodies and reduce the interference of impurities.
Additives: Depending on experimental needs, specific additives may need to be added to the culture medium. For example, when culturing hematopoietic stem cells, stem cell factors, interleukins, and other cytokines can be added to promote the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. When conducting gene transfection experiments, a culture medium containing components compatible with transfection reagents can be used to improve transfection efficiency.

pH and Osmotic Pressure of the Medium: Different cells have different requirements for the pH and osmotic pressure of the culture medium. For example, mammalian cells are generally suitable for growing in an environment with a pH of 7.2 – 7.4 and an osmotic pressure of 280 – 320 mOsm/kg. The pH and osmotic pressure ranges of insect cell culture media are different from those of mammalian cells, usually with a pH of 6.2 – 6.4 and an osmotic pressure of 340 – 380 mOsm/kg.
Brand and Quality: Selecting well-known brands and culture media with reliable quality can ensure the stability of their components and consistency between batches. Meanwhile, pay attention to information such as the production date and expiration date of the culture medium to ensure the use of fresh and qualified products.