Activated Charcoal

Activated Charcoal (AC) is often used in plant tissue culture to improve cell growth and development (Pan and van Staden, 1998). The addition of AC to both liquid and semi-solid media is a recognized practice and its influence on growth and development may be attributed mainly to the adsorption of inhibitory substances in the culture medium (Fridborg et al., 1978, Horner et al., 1977, Theander and Nelson, 1988, Weatherhead et al., 1978, Weatherhead et al., 1979), drastic decrease in the phenolic oxidation or brown exudate accumulation (Carlberg et al., 1983, Liu, 1993, Teixeria et al., 1994), alteration of medium pH to an optimum level for morphogenesis (Owen et al., 1991) and establishment of a darkened environment in medium and hence simulate soil conditions (Dumas and Monteuuis, 1995).

Even though the effect of Activated Charcoal on plant growth regulator (PGR) uptake is still unclear, some workers believe that it may gradually release certain adsorbed products, such as nutrients and PGRs in addition to the release of substances naturally present in Activated charcoal which promote plant growth (Johansson and Eriksson, 1977, Johansson et al., 1990). The growth inhibitory chemicals, like 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural produced during autoclaving from sucrose by dehydration, will be removed by AC (Pan and van Staden, 1998).

Thomas, T. D. (2008). The role of activated charcoal in plant tissue culture. Biotechnology Advances, 26(6), 618-631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2008.08.003

Disclaimer: Results may vary depending on specific cell lines, specifications, and experimental conditions. Consult with cell culture specialists and review comprehensive literature to tailor its use to your specific research needs.