Medium 199 was originally developed for nutritional studies of chick embryo fibroblasts. It has broad species applicability, particularly for cultivation of non-transformed cells. Medium 199 is widely used in virology, vaccine production, and in vitro cultivation of primary explants of mouse pancreatic epithelium and rat lens tissues.
Compared to other basal media, Medium 199 contains unique components, including adenine, adenosine, hypoxanthine, thymine, and additional vitamins. This Medium 199 contains Earle's salts for use in a CO₂ incubator. Medium 199 contains no proteins, lipids, or growth factors. Medium 199 uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (2.2 g / L) and therefore requires a 5-10% CO₂ environment to maintain physiological pH.

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