Monday, February 11, 2008

HBSS vs PBS

So, I'll put it to the test - to see if anyone who reads this blog would be able to help out... I am reviewing a paper at the moment and got caught wondering why they would use HBSS as a buffer solution rather than PBS when diluting bacteria and virus.

It is further funny, for me in a strange way,that I never really have heard about it in the first place. I wonder if it has something to do with either coming from a small lab that didn't want to mix four different solutions together and didn't buy it from a company when we had the experience to mix and use PBS all the time, or if it is something else? Maybe HBSS (together with glucose) is commonly used with eukaryotic cells and can be used to dilute bacteria and virus and then they have it in the lab?

Any thoughts or comments will be appriciated. And I have something more to look for and learn more about. Already I have compared the buffer compositions and wonder if PBS has more "buffer potential" due to higher ion concentrations?!

(and yes, I succeeded in handing in the manuscript to my PI today and then I'll see what he says about it. but at least I handed it in in time...)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

HBSS is basically PBS with some extra salts and glucose thrown in. For washing, I can't imagine it would make a difference. We usually say 'historical reasons'; that's how it was always done.

If you're looking at, say, glucose uptake or something then yeah, there might be problems.