RPMI 1640 培养基由 Moore 等人于 1967 年在美国纽约州布法罗市的罗斯韦尔公园纪念研究所（Roswell Park Memorial Institute, RPMI）开发。RPMI 为该研究所开发的一系列培养基的统称，1640 为产品编号。该培养基是 McCoy's 5A 培养基的改良型，采用碳酸氢盐缓冲系统，与多数哺乳动物细胞培养基不同，其原始配方设定 pH 约为 8.0。RPMI 1640 最初专为淋巴细胞培养设计，如今已广泛用于各类正常细胞和癌细胞（尤其是悬浮细胞）的培养，是全球应用最广的基础培养基之一。培养基中添加酚红作为 pH 指示剂，用于持续监测培养液的酸碱度：低 pH 时呈黄色，高 pH 时呈紫色，而在 pH 7.2～7.4 时呈红色，此范围最适宜细胞生长。但酚红也存在一定局限性。研究表明，酚红能模拟固醇类激素（尤其是雌激素）的作用，因此在培养雌激素敏感细胞（如乳腺组织细胞）时，建议使用不含酚红的培养基。此外，酚红可能干扰流式细胞术的检测结果，并且某些无血清培养基中若含有酚红，可能影响钠‑钾离子平衡。本产品含细胞培养所需的多种氨基酸、维生素、无机盐等成分，但不含蛋白质、脂类或任何生长因子，因此使用时需额外添加血清或无血清添加物。注意事项本产品已过滤除菌，使用时请严格无菌操作，防止污染。为保持最佳使用效果，请勿反复冻融。仅限科研用途（或用于进一步研究），不得用于诊断或治疗。

RPMI 1640 medium was developed by Moore et al. in 1967 at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) in Buffalo, New York, USA. RPMI is the collective designation for a series of media developed by the Institute, and 1640 is the product catalog number. This medium is a modified version of McCoy's 5A medium, employs a bicarbonate buffering system, and—unlike most mammalian cell culture media—its original formulation was set to a pH of approximately 8.0. Initially designed specifically for lymphocyte culture, RPMI 1640 is now widely used for the cultivation of various normal and cancer cells (particularly suspension cells) and has become one of the most extensively used basal media worldwide. Phenol red is added to the medium as a pH indicator for continuous monitoring of the culture medium's acidity or alkalinity: it appears yellow at low pH, purple at high pH, and red at pH 7.2–7.4, which is the optimal range for cell growth. However, phenol red has certain limitations. Studies have shown that phenol red can mimic the action of steroid hormones, particularly estrogens; therefore, for culturing estrogen‑sensitive cells (e.g., mammary tissue cells), the use of phenol red‑free medium is recommended. In addition, phenol red may interfere with flow cytometric analysis, and in certain serum‑free media, its presence may affect sodium‑potassium ion balance. This product contains various amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, and other components required for cell culture, but does not include proteins, lipids, or any growth factors. Consequently, it requires supplementation with serum or serum‑free additives during use. Precautions 1. This product has been sterilized by filtration. Please adhere strictly to aseptic techniques during use to prevent contamination. 2. To maintain optimal performance, avoid repeated freeze‑thaw cycles. 3. For research use only (or for further investigative purposes); not intended for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.