influence of ethanol

[verlooy at uia.ua.ac.be]

Hi,


Can someone help me with this problem?

I do some research on the influence of steroids on chondrocytes in vitro.
I incubate the cells with stimulationmedium (= DMEM with one of the 
steroids)and measure then some cell-growth-parameters. 
Some of the steroids I use, I can only dissolve in ethanol. The highest 
concentration of ethanol is 0.1% (because theconcentration of the steroid has to 
be that high). 
The problem now is that 0.1% ethanol has an effect on the measured parameters in 
comparison with the blanco medium. This makes it very difficult to differentiate 
 between the effect of the steroid and the effect of ethanol.

Has someone experienced these problems.

(It is very difficult to lower the concentration of ethanol without lowering the 
concentration of steroid.)


Joris VERLOOY
Dept. Pediatrics (T4)
University of Antwerp (U.I.A.)
Belgium
verlooy at uia.ua.ac.be