Sodium Citrate Solution (0.8%)

A major step in harvesting cells for chromosome karyotyping is treatment with a hypotonic saline solution to increase cell volume. Sodium Citrate Solution is a hypotonic solution, which work by creating a concentration gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane and water then rushes in by active transport.

Hypotonic treatment with Sodium Citrate is used most often with the addition of Potassium Chloride (KCl) to enhance membrane permeability and induce hypotonic cell swelling at either room temperature (15-30°C) or 37°C. Usually, the higher temperature is used to increase metaphase spreading. There are several factors that influence the extent of the hypotonic treatment utilizing Sodium Citrate and/or Potassium Chloride (KCl) including cell density or specimen type (e.g. slides or cell pellet).

This product is manufactured by Sartorius and available in case packs from Captivate Bio. Captivate Bio is an authorized distributor of Sartorius cell culture products.