Artefacts in cell culture: α-Ketoglutarate can scavenge hydrogen peroxide generated by ascorbate and epigallocatechin gallate in cell culture media

Ascorbate and several phenolic compounds readily oxidise in cell culture media to generate hydrogen peroxide. However, addition of α-ketoglutarate, which is known to be released by several cell types, decreased the levels of H2O2, and the α-ketoglutarate was depleted and converted to succinate. These observations could account for previous reports of the protective effects of α-ketoglutarate in promoting the growth of cells in culture, and may contribute to explaining some of the variability in the literature in reported rates of H2O2 production from autoxidisable compounds in cell culture systems.

Research highlights
► Compounds added to cell culture media can oxidise to generate hydrogen peroxide, especially polyphenols and ascorbate.
► α-Ketoglutarate is often released from cells in culture, or added to culture media.
► This α-ketoglutarate can scavenge H2O2, masking H2O2 production and changing the chemical composition of the media.
► Such reactions can cause artefactual results when examining the behaviour of cells in culture.