Phosphate Buffered Saline: powder for 500 ml of 10X

Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS), available as a powder for preparation of 500 ml of a 10X concentration, is a widely used biochemical buffer in cellular biology research. This buffer solution mimics the osmotic pressure and pH of physiological fluids, making it an ideal environment for handling live cells and tissues in experiments. The 10X concentrate provides practical convenience, allowing researchers to dilute the powder in distilled water to achieve a 1X working solution that maintains a pH typically around 7.4, closely matching that of the human body. PBS is essential for a variety of laboratory applications including cell culture maintenance, washing cells during isolation procedures, and diluting substances. Its primary role is to provide a stable isotonic environment that preserves cell integrity and functionality while minimizing any potential cellular stress or damage during experimental manipulations. Additionally, PBS is used as a rinsing agent to remove excess proteins and other agents from cells in techniques like flow cytometry and immunostaining, thereby preventing non-specific binding and maintaining the specificity and accuracy of the assay results. The use of PBS in research is crucial for ensuring that experimental conditions are consistently physiological, which is key to obtaining reliable and reproducible results.