Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 Medium has since been found suitable for a variety of mammalian cells, including HeLa, Jurkat, MCF-7, PC12, PBMC, astrocytes, and carcinomas.
Modified as follows: with L-glutamine, phenol red; without HEPES, sodium bicarbonate
Contains reducing agent glutathione and high concentrations of vitamins
Contains biotin, vitamin B12, and PABA, which are not found in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium or Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium
Vitamins inositol and choline are present in high concentrations
Contains no proteins, lipids, or growth factors; therefore, requiring supplementation, commonly with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)
Uses sodium bicarbonate buffer system (2.0g/L), and therefore requires a 5-10% CO2 environment to maintain physiological pH
Powder forms of Gibco cell culture media require sodium bicarbonate supplementation, pH adjustment, and filtration at the time of preparation