BioPulverizer
The
BioPulverizer™
reduces tissue hard-frozen in liquid nitrogen to a fine powder. Because of
the high water content, most fresh tissue becomes as
brittle as glass at liquid N2 temperatures. A sharp blow with a hammer will shatter it into tiny pieces. Called
freeze-fracturing or cryopulverization, the method is especially useful for
preparing tough, fibrous tissues
such as skin, cartilage, cornea, etc. for subsequent rapid cell disruption using
other techniques. The Bio-Pulverizer consists of a hole machined in a
stainless steel base into which fits a special piston. In a typical
procedure, up to 10 g of animal or plant tissue is hard-frozen in liquid
nitrogen and placed in the pre-chilled BioPulverizer. The piston, which
may or may not be mounted on a trigger mechanism, delivers a blow to the brittle
tissue reducing it to powder. Freeze fracturing with the Bio-Pulverizer is
also useful for extracting labile tissue metabolites.
Relevant literature: Cytoplasmic RNA Extraction from Fresh and Frozen Tissues, P Carninci et.al., BioTechniques, Vol 33, p.306-309 (2002)
How The BioPulverizer Works
1)Place the BioPulverizer ™ in a shallow container and cool thoroughly with either liquid nitrogen (preferred) or a dry-ice/alcohol mixture (next best).
2)Place prefrozen tissue in the well of the mortar.
3)Remove the mortar from the shallow container, place it on the lab bench and pulverize the tissue with one or two blows to the pestle with either a hammer (models 59012N, 59013N, 59012MS) or a squeeze of the spring-loaded hammer (models 59013H and 59014H). The mass of the stainless steel will preserve the cold long enough for you to complete your pulverization without adding additional liq. N2.
4)Empty the powdered contents for subsequent homogenization or extraction procedures.
Specifications
-► Type 316 stainless steel.
-► Four sizes available.
-► Hammer and film provided, where appropriate.
-► Requires access to dry ice (solid CO2) or about 200 ml of liquid nitrogen.
Ordering Information
Cat. No. 59012N, BioPulverizer with a tissue capacity of 10-100mg, $265.
Cat. No. 59013N, BioPulverizer with a tissue capacity of 0.1-1g, $285.
A complimentary package of LAS-50 (see below) is included with each "N" series BioPulverizer (BP) ordered. This special plastic film, placed on the bottom of the receiving well of the BP, often aids in the removal of the powdered sample and in keeping the BP clean. Its utility depends on the tissue sample being pulverized. While it doesn't always prove to be useful - it is worth a try. No film is available for the "H" or "MS" series of BioPulverizers.
Cat. No. LAS-50, Die-cut film for models 59012N and 59013N, 50 to a pkg, $15.
Cat. No. 59014H, BioPulverizer with spring-loaded hammer and tissue capacity of 1-10g, $435.
NEW Cat. No. 59012MS, MultiSample BioPulverizer, 12 wells, tissue capacity per well of 10-100mg, $395.
Note: twelve pestles are included in each 59012MS.
Related Equipment with CryoPulverization Capabilities
Cryo-cup Mortar and Pestle.
A classic style mortar & pestle specifically
designed for grinding tissue at Liq N2 temperatures.
MicroCryoCrusher.
A compact, low cost screw-press designed to pulverize
50-500mg of hard, brittle material such as bone or teeth.
MiniBeadbeater-96. With the aluminum block vial holder, cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures, up to 48 small samples (10-300 mg) can be pulverized at one time in standard polypropylene microvials.
