In cell culture, polymyxin B sulfate is used as an antibacterial agent to prevent contamination. Polymyxin B sulfate is recommended for use in cell culture applications at 50 mg/L. It is used as a lipid A binding agent that induces pore formation in cell membranes and as immobilized (substrate bound) agent for removal of endotoxins.
This Thermo Scientific Chemicals brand product was originally part of the Alfa Aesar product portfolio. Some documentation and label information may refer to the legacy brand. The original Alfa Aesar product / item code or SKU reference has not changed as a part of the brand transition to Thermo Scientific Chemicals.
General Description
• Polymixin B sulfate is a mixture of B1 and B2 polypeptides obtained from different strains of Bacillus polymyxa, with antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria. It does not exhibit activity against fungi and gram-positive organisms
• This compound inhibits Ca2+ dependent PKC (protein kinase C)
• It can bind lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria and disrupts the cytoplasmic membrane by inducing large pores to allow nucleotide leakage in bacterial walls. This disrupts the permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane
Application
• Polymixin B sulfate targets BAC-1.2F5 murine macrophages as an LPS (lipopolysaccharide) inhibitor
• In in vitro research, this compound is used to prevent bacterial contamination of cell cultures
• In microbiology research, it is used as a positive and negative control during microbicidal concentration (MCC) assay