Percoll® & Percoll® Plus by Merck: Advanced Cell Separation Media for Research, Diagnostics, and Pharmaceutical Applications

Efficient, gentle cell separation is vital for accurate research and diagnostics. Percoll® and Percoll® Plus by Merck offer stable, non-toxic, and tunable gradient media specifically designed to meet the most demanding requirements in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Discover how these innovative solutions address complex cell isolation challenges with superior biocompatibility, low toxicity, and flexibility across diverse applications.

Why Choose Percoll® & Percoll® Plus Cell Separation Media

• Versatile separation performance: Supports density gradient centrifugation workflows for cells, viruses, and subcellular particles in research, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical applications.
• Broad biological isolation capability: Enables successful isolation of many biological particles, including those with sedimentation coefficient values greater than 60S.
• Compatibility with living systems: Allows separation and recovery of intact, fully active cells and viruses for downstream work.
• Physiological condition control: Offers user adjustment of density and osmolality to match application requirements with minimal interference from the medium.
• Flexible workflow design: Supports isopycnic separations of cells, organelles, membrane vesicles, and some viruses, making it suitable for diverse laboratory protocols.
• Reduced post-separation handling: The low toxicity of these media means removal from separated cellular particles is not usually necessary.
• Clinical research suitability: Percoll® Plus, with its low endotoxin levels, is well-suited for cell separation in clinical research and other applications where endotoxin content is critical.

Core Features and Media Design of Percoll® & Percoll® Plus

• Colloidal silica medium: Silica-based colloidal density gradient media for cell separation by density gradient centrifugation of cells, viruses, and subcellular particles.
• Particle architecture: Colloidal silica particles act as structural particles with a diameter of 15 to 30 nm.
• Percoll coating chemistry: Percoll consists of colloidal silica particles coated with a firmly bound, non-dialyzable polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) layer.
• Percoll Plus coating chemistry: Percoll Plus consists of a silica sol with covalently linked silane on the particle surface.
• Gradient Formation Mechanism: The media form spontaneous self generated gradients during centrifugation.
• Viscosity Profile: Percoll and Percoll Plus are characterized by low viscosity.
• Osmolality Profile: Percoll and Percoll Plus have low osmolality, and the osmolality of gradients can be adjusted by the user with salts, buffer solution, or sucrose as described for preparation.
• Membrane impermeability: The media are impermeable to biological membranes.
• Endotoxin Characteristic: Percoll Plus has low levels of endotoxins.
• Aseptic Fill Format: Percoll and Percoll Plus are aseptically filled.

Technical Specifications of Percoll® & Percoll® Plus

• Silica content in Percoll®: 23% w/w in water.
• Autoclaving condition: 120 °C for 30 minutes.

Applications and Typical Use of Percoll® & Percoll® Plus Cell Separation Media

• Biomedical and pharmaceutical research: Percoll® and Percoll® Plus support cell separation and purification workflows in biomedical and pharmaceutical research, including primary cells, immune cells, and organ-derived cell preparations.
• Density gradient centrifugation: Both media support density gradient centrifugation of cells, viruses, and subcellular particles in preparative and analytical workflows.
• Isopycnic separation workflows: They are suitable for isopycnic separations of cells, organelles, membrane vesicles, and some viruses.
• Cell and particle handling: Cells or subcellular particles can be mixed with Percoll® or Percoll® Plus before centrifugation so they will band isopycnically as the gradient forms in situ.
• Working solution preparation: Percoll® and Percoll® Plus are best used in balanced salt solutions, physiological saline, or 0.25 M sucrose.
• Use guidance by sample type: Cells can be separated in gradients prepared in balanced salt solutions, while subcellular particles are recommended to be separated in Percoll® or Percoll® Plus diluted with sucrose.
• Blood cell separation use: Separation of blood cells is carried out by preforming the gradient, layering blood on top, and then centrifuging to separate cell types according to their position in the gradient.
• Post-separation handling: After centrifugation, gradient fractions can be collected from the tube, and separated living cells can be washed with physiological saline to remove the medium when required.

Chemical Express Thailand is the trusted distributor of Merck products in Thailand, offering more than 23 years of expertise. Percoll® and Percoll® Plus—and other leading solutions—can be purchased directly through Chemical Express to advance your research and applications with confidence.