Colchicine (F.W. 399.4), an alkaloid purified from the autumn crocus flower, blocks cell division by inhibiting mitosis. It is effective at concentrations of 0.1-1ug/ml. You have a cell culture with 40mls volume. How much colchicine do you add for a final concentration of 0.5 ug/ml?
To calculate the amount of colchicine needed to obtain a final concentration of 0.5 μg/ml in a 40 ml cell culture volume, we can use the formula:
Amount of colchicine (in μg) = Final concentration (in μg/ml) × Volume of cell culture (in ml)
Substituting the given values into the equation, we get:
Amount of colchicine (in μg) = 0.5 μg/ml × 40 ml
Calculating this, we find:
Amount of colchicine = 20 μg
Therefore, you would need to add 20 μg of colchicine to the cell culture to achieve a final concentration of 0.5 μg/ml.