Fluorescein Diacetate Hydrolysis
Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis assays can be used to measure the enzyme activity of microbes in a sample. A bright yellow-green glow is produced and is strongest when enzymatic activity is greatest. This can be quantified using a spectrofluorometer or a spectrophotometer. Applications FDA hydrolysis is often used to measure activity in soil and compost samples; however, it may not give an accurate reading if microbes with lower activity phases, such as esterases, cleave the fluorescein first. It is also used in combination with propidium iodide (PI) to determine viability in eukaryotic cells. Living cells will actively convert the non-fluorescent FDA into the green fluorescent compound fluorescein, a sign of viability; while nucleus of membrane-compromised cells will fluoresce red, a sign of cell death. Currently FDA/PI staining is the standard assessment of human pancreatic islet viability with suitability for transplantation when viability score is above 70%. Preparati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Enzyme Activity
Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzyme, enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibitor, enzyme inhibition. Enzyme units The quantity or concentration of an enzyme can be expressed in Mole (unit), molar amounts, as with any other chemical, or in terms of activity in enzyme units. Enzyme activity Enzyme activity is a measure of the quantity of active enzyme present and is thus dependent on various physical conditions, ''which should be specified''. It is calculated using the following formula: :\mathrm=\mathrm_\text=\mathrm\times\mathrm where :\mathrm = Enzyme activity :\mathrm_\text = Moles of substrate converted per unit time :\mathrm = Rate of the reaction :\mathrm = Reaction volume The SI unit is the katal, 1 katal = 1 mole (unit), mol s−1 (mole per second), but this is an excessively large unit. A more practical and commonly used value is enzyme unit (U) = 1 μmol min−1 (micromole per minute). 1 U correspon ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spectrofluorometer
A spectrofluorometer is an instrument which takes advantage of fluorescent properties of some compounds in order to provide information regarding their concentration and chemical environment in a sample. A certain excitation wavelength is selected, and the emission is observed either at a single wavelength, or a scan is performed to record the intensity versus wavelength, also called an emission spectrum. The instrument is used in fluorescence spectroscopy. Operation Generally, spectrofluorometers use high intensity light sources to bombard a sample with as many photons as possible. This allows for the maximum number of molecules to be in an excited state at any one point in time. The light is either passed through a filter, selecting a fixed wavelength, or a monochromator, which allows a wavelength of interest to be selected for use as the exciting light. The emission is collected at the perpendicular to the emitted light. The emission is also either passed through a filter or a mo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fluorescein
Fluorescein is an organic compound and dye based on the xanthene tricyclic structural motif, formally belonging to Triarylmethane dye, triarylmethine dyes family. It is available as a dark orange/red powder slightly soluble in water and alcohol. It is used as a fluorescent Flow tracer, tracer in many applications. The color of its aqueous solutions is green by reflection and orange by transmission (its spectral properties are dependent on pH of the solution), as can be noticed in spirit level, bubble levels, for example, in which fluorescein is added as a colorant to the Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol filling the tube in order to increase the visibility of the air bubble contained within. More concentrated solutions of fluorescein can even appear red (because under these conditions nearly all incident emission is re-absorbed by the solution). It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Uses Fluorescein sodium, t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Propidium Iodide
Propidium iodide (or PI) is a Fluorescence#Biochemistry and medicine, fluorescent intercalating agent that can be used to Staining (biology), stain cell (biology), cells and nucleic acids. PI binds to DNA by intercalating between the bases with little or no sequence preference. When in an aqueous solution, PI has a fluorescent excitation maximum of 493 nm (blue-green), and an emission maximum of 636 nm (red). After binding DNA, the quantum yield of PI is enhanced 20-30 fold, and the excitation/emission maximum of PI is shifted to 535 nm (green) / 617 nm (orange-red). Propidium iodide is used as a DNA stain in flow cytometry to Viability assay, evaluate cell viability or DNA content in cell cycle analysis, or in microscopy to visualize the nucleus and other DNA-containing organelles. Propidium Iodide is not membrane-permeable, making it useful to differentiate Necrosis, necrotic, Apoptosis, apoptotic and healthy cells based on membrane integrity. PI also binds to RNA, necessitating ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Viability Assay
A viability assay is an assay that is created to determine the ability of organs, cells or tissues to maintain or recover a state of survival. Viability can be distinguished from the all-or-nothing states of life and death by the use of a quantifiable index that ranges between the integers of 0 and 1 or, if more easily understood, the range of 0% and 100%. Viability can be observed through the physical properties of cells, tissues, and organs. Some of these include mechanical activity, motility, such as with spermatozoa and granulocytes, the contraction of muscle tissue or cells, mitotic activity in cellular functions, and more. Viability assays provide a more precise basis for measurement of an organism's level of vitality. Viability assays can lead to more findings than the difference of living versus nonliving. These techniques can be used to assess the success of cell culture techniques, cryopreservation techniques, the toxicity of substances, or the effectiveness of substanc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone) is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly Volatile organic compound, volatile, and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odor. Acetone is miscibility, miscible with properties of water, water and serves as an important organic solvent in industry, home, and laboratory. About 6.7 million tonnes were produced worldwide in 2010, mainly for use as a solvent and for production of methyl methacrylate and bisphenol A, which are precursors to widely used plastics.Acetone World Petrochemicals report, January 2010Stylianos Sifniades, Alan B. Levy, "Acetone" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2005. It is a common building block in organic chemistry. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sucrose
Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined from either sugarcane or sugar beet. Sugar mills – typically located in tropical regions near where sugarcane is grown – crush the cane and produce raw sugar which is shipped to other factories for refining into pure sucrose. Sugar beet factories are located in temperate climates where the beet is grown, and process the beets directly into refined sugar. The Sugar refinery, sugar-refining process involves washing the raw sugar crystals before dissolving them into a sugar syrup which is filtered and then passed over carbon to remove any residual colour. The sugar syrup is then concentrated by boiling under a vacuum and crystallized as the final purification process to produce crystals of pure sucrose that are clear, odorless, and sweet. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |