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Key Documents

C4951

Sigma-Aldrich

Cholesterol-Water Soluble

Cholesterol-Water Soluble

powder, BioReagent, suitable for cell culture

Synonym(s):

Cholesterol–methyl-β-cyclodextrin

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About This Item

UNSPSC Code:
12352211
NACRES:
NA.75
Pricing and availability is not currently available.

biological source

ovine wool

Quality Level

product line

BioReagent

form

powder

technique(s)

cell culture | mammalian: suitable

solubility

H2O: 300 mg/mL

shipped in

ambient

storage temp.

−20°C

Application

Cholesterol-Water Soluble has been used:
  • in free cholesterol (FC) overloading of rat smooth muscle cells (SMCs)[1]
  • in cytotoxicity assay[2]
  • for the incubation of CD4+ T cells with Helicobacter pylori[3]
  • to study the membrane cholesterol level in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells[4]
  • to study the effects of cholesterol on cell viability and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons[5]
  • as a supplement for growth of bacterial culture[6]
  • to examine the interaction of S protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)[7]
  • to investigate the effects of cholesterol on potassium currents in the inner hair cells of guinea pigs[8]
  • for reversible inhibition of proteinase K[9]

Packaging

Package size based on cholesterol

Other Notes

Contains approx. 40 mg of cholesterol per gram; balance methyl-β-cyclodextrin.

Preparation Note

Preparea solution at 300mg/mL in water. Let thesolution sit undisturbed for one hour after diluting to obtain completesolubilization of product.

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

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Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Lot/Batch Number

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A novel reciprocal and biphasic relationship between membrane cholesterol and beta-secretase activity in SH-SY5Y cells and in human platelets
Liu WW, et al.
Journal of Neurochemistry, 108(2), 341-349 (2009)
Cholesterol and its derivatives reversibly inhibit proteinase K
Singh N and Bhattacharyya D
Journal of Cellular Physiology, 232(3), 596-609 (2017)
Importance of cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains in the interaction of the S protein of SARS-coronavirus with the cellular receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2
Glende J, et al.
Virology, 381(2), 215-221 (2008)
Barbora Melkes et al.
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 389(12), 1289-1300 (2016-09-08)
There are some indications that biased μ-opioid ligands may diversely affect μ-opioid receptor (MOR) properties. Here, we used confocal fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to study the regulation by different MOR agonists of receptor movement within the plasma membrane of
Cholesterol influences potassium currents in inner hair cells isolated from guinea pig cochlea
Kimitsuki T
Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 44(1), 46-51 (2017)

Questions

1–10 of 15 Questions  
  1. C4951 Cholesterol-Water Soluble 30 mg. Technical Support online shows: The 30 mg package size may contain nearly 1 gram of powder. so, what's the other substance besides the 30 mg of the active ingredients?

    1 answer
    1. The bulk of this material is Methyl-?-cyclodextrin. This component enhances the solubility of Cholesterol in water. There are approximately 40 mg of Cholesterol per gram of product, with the remainder being the cyclodextrin agent. Cyclodextrins are not cell permeable and inert in culture. Please see the link below to review additional information regarding these water-soluble complexes:
      https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/deepweb/assets/sigmaaldrich/product/documents/218/859/e8014inf.pdf

      Helpful?

  2. CAN CHOLESTEROL POWDER BE DISSOLVED IN Medium of cells (High glucose, 2%fbs, 1% p/s) ?

    1 answer
    1. The product is tested for solubility in water at 300 mg of the powder per 1 mL. Reconstituting in medium or salt solutions may cause a precipitate and is not recommended. Stock solutions in water may then be filter sterilized and added directly to the culture medium. Note that this product is sold on the basis of the cholesterol content only. The 30 mg package size may contain nearly 1 gram of powder. The specific amount of cholesterol per gram is reported on the lot-specific Certificate of Analysis. Please see the link below to review a sample or lot specific Certificate:
      https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/product/sigma/c4951#product-documentation

      Please see the links below to learn more about the water-soluble complexes:
      https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/deepweb/assets/sigmaaldrich/product/documents/181/278/c4805inf.pdf
      https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/technical-article/cell-culture-and-cell-culture-analysis/mammalian-cell-culture/cyclodextrins

      Helpful?

  3. This product is not dissolving at 10mg/mL in water. What can I do? I left it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Could there be contaminants in the powder? The powder was stored at -20 degrees celsius.

    1 answer
    1. The product issue you are reporting should be investigated by our Technical Service team who can assist you with further troubleshooting and/or investigation. We kindly ask you to navigate to the link https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/techservice, and click on "Report Product Issues" under the Products Section with all the required information so that a member of our team can reach out to you to assist further. Thank you.

      Helpful?

  4. What is the molar ratio of mBCD to Cholesterol?

    1 answer
    1. Unfortunately, the method of production for Cholesterol–methyl-β-cyclodextrin is proprietary.

      Helpful?

  5. Can cholesterol powder be dissolved in BSA or it needs to be water?

    1 answer
    1. This is a water soluble cholesterol product. It is soluble in water at 300mg/ml. The solubility in BSA has not been evaluated.

      Helpful?

  6. Is there a method to completely separate cholesterol, which is made water-soluble in cells and present in the culture medium, from the culture medium?

    1 answer
    1. In reference to product C4951, the cholesterol in solution is sequestered within the cyclodextrin cavity. There may be a competitive compound that could strip the cholesterol, but this process has not been investigated. Please refer to the literature to investigate further. See below for a link to the Cyclodextrin page that may be helpful.
      https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/technical-article/cell-culture-and-cell-culture-analysis/mammalian-cell-culture/cyclodextrins

      If the question is specific to precipitating free cholesterol, there are precipitation methods available in the literature. The links below may be helpful.
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064949/
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986904/

      Helpful?

  7. How to sterilize the solution for use in cell culture

    1 answer
    1. Solutions intended for use in cell culture should be sterile filtered using a minimum 0.2 um membrane. Smaller volumes such as media supplements and culture reagents can be filtered using a sterile syringe filter. Larger volumes, such as media and buffers, should be filtered using an appropriate size bottle-top or fulll (reservoir and receiver) filtration system such as Stericup, using vacuum filtration.

      Helpful?

  8. What kind of water should be used?

    1 answer
    1. This product can be solubilized in deionized water.

      Helpful?

  9. How long is the stock solution made up at 300 mg/mL good for? Storage conditions?

    1 answer
    1. Typical stock solutions can be prepared at concentrations of 50 – 500 mg solid (powder) in 1 ml deionized water. Solutions can be sterile filtered using a 0.2 um membrane; the powders are not sterile. Solutions should be stored in working aliquots at -20ºC. Frozen aliquots should be stable for at least 6 months.

      Helpful?

  10. Does the protocol for solubilization in water include heating or sonication?

    1 answer
    1. This product will not require heating or sonication. It is approximately 40mg of cholesterol per gram of powder with the remainder being cyclodextrin. The cyclodextrin greatly increases the solubility of many hydrophobic compounds and eliminates the need for organic solvents. Cyclodextrin is a large inert sugar that will not cross the cell membrane or be metabolized by cells. See the lot specific certificate of analysis for the cholesterol content.

      Helpful?

1–10 of 15 Questions  

Reviews

Active Filters

    • Review 1
    • Vote 1
    1 out of 5 stars.

    Not Water Soluble

    I attempted to use this product but it is not water soluble as advertised. I followed the protocol that is given on the website, mixing in water and letting the mixture sit undisturbed for 1 hour. Afterwards, there were still many undissolved crystals and the mixture could not be filtered without severely diluting our mixture. We also tried letting the mixture sit in a 37 degree water bath for 30 minutes, followed by letting it sit overnight in a 4 degree fridge, and the cholesterol was still not dissolved.

    Helpful?

    1. Response from MilliporeSigma:

      This issue may be due to the solution concentration being too high (>300mg/ml) or too low. Due to the nature of cyclodextrin, the cholesterol-cyclodextrin complex exhibits biphasic solubility. To ensure optimal solubility at low concentrations, it is suggested that stock solutions >50 mg/mL (and preferably >100 mg/mL) be prepared, and then diluted to the desired concentration. Also, addition of un-complexed cyclodextrin (product C0926) aides solubility at low concentrations.

      We encourage customers who experience problems with our products to contact us for additional technical support. Please visit https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/support/customer-support to submit a Product Technical Inquiry.

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