Hanks’ Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) is designed to maintain the structural and physiological integrity of cells in vitro.
Saline solutions have several roles:
– transport, dilution, and irrigation solution to maintain intra- and extracellular osmotic pressure
– solution which, when associated with a sugar such as glucose, provides the main source of energy for cellular metabolism
– buffer solution to maintain a medium in physiological pH conditions (7.2-7.6).
HBSS without calcium and magnesium is frequently used to wash and resuspend cells during the dissociation process, where the presence of calcium and magnesium can inhibit enzymatic activity (trypsin).
