Dyes, Stains, & Indicators

4-Methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-idopyranosiduronic acid sodium salt is a carbohydrate acid and organic sodium salt applied as an indicator. It is the fluorogenic substrate used in assays of α-L-Iduronidase and iduronate-2-sulfatase for identifying Hurler syndrome, also called mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I). The disorder is characterized by α -L iduronidase enzyme deficiency, resulting in the buildup of glucosaminoglycans. Tests measure the chemical products 4-MU-α-IdoA or fluorophate 4-MU emitted following the enzymatic action of 4-Methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-idopyranosiduronic acid sodium salt. The substance is a white crystalline powder and is soluble in ethanol, methanol and water.

6-Fluoro-3-indoxyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside is a biological substrate used as an chromogenic indicator in biochemical assays.

Acriflavine HCl is a compound predominantly used in cellular biology for fluorescence staining. It intercalates between the base pairs of DNA and RNA. Among the acridine dyes, acriflavine has the highest affinity for DNA. Acriflavine stains eukaryotic cells exceptionally well in humic substance environments. It provides a robust experimental consistency and reduces the effect of minor experimental errors. The binding of acriflavine to DNA can be observed from a characteristic red shift in an absorption spectrum. While having a high affinity for DNA, acriflavine is limited to euchromatin for both DNA and RNA.

Acriflavine has also been found to inhibit heterodimeric transcription factors, specifically called hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). Studying the hyperactivity of HIFs has become a popular in oncology research, where chemicals like acriflavine are used to disrupt HIF activity of malignant cells. HIFs are activated in hypoxic conditions and promote angiogenesis to alleviate stress. They are normally regulated through proline and asparagine hydroxylation. Acriflavine halts HIF activity, specifically by binding to a subdomain of HIF-1α and HIF-2α.

Basic fuchsin is a fluorescent dye composed of rosaniline, magenta II, pararosaniline and new fuschsine. Basic fuchsin staining is certified to use for the detection of acid-fast bacilli and is commonly used in the Ziehl Neelsen staining method.

This dye has also been shown to stain tubercle Bacillus and to compare E. coli and Aerobacter aerogenes.

Blazin' Blue™ Protein Gel Stain is a ready-to-use protein gel staining solution that is a safer and more effective replacement for traditional Coomassie stains. Blazin' Blue™ offers a faster alternative to protein staining (5-60 minutes) in a single step without the need for fixation or washing. Protein bands can be detected through visible blue staining or by near-infrared fluorescence. And since Blazin' Blue™ is aqueous based, there are no hazardous chemicals like methanol or acetic acid to worry about. Blazin' Blue™ Protein Gel Stain is certified under CCR Title 22 as non-toxic to the environment for drain disposal after a simple pH neutralization step.

Blazin' Bright™ Luminescent Protein Gel Stain is a ready-to-use luminescent protein gel staining solution that is a safer and more effective replacement for traditional fluorescent staining. Blazin' Bright™ offers a faster alternative to protein staining (5-60 minutes) in a single step without the need for fixation (destaining is optional). The Blazin' Bright™ gel stains are aqueous based, there are no hazardous chemicals like methanol or acetic acid to worry about. Blazin' Bright™ Protein Gel Stain is certified under CCR Title 22 as non-toxic to the environment for drain disposal after a simple pH neutralization step.

Blazin' Bright™ has a detection limit around 1-10 ng, depending on the detection method used (staining intensity varies between proteins) and does not cause gel shrinkage. Blazin' Bright™ staining is also fully compatible with mass spectrometry (MS) and Edman-based sequencing.

Blazin' Bright™ Luminescent UV Protein Gel Stain is a ready-to-use luminescent protein gel staining solution that is a safer and more effective replacement for traditional fluorescent staining. Gels stained with our Blazin' Bright™ Luminescent UV Protein Gel Stain can be visualized rapidly (5-30 minutes) in a single step without fixation (destaining is optional). The Blazin' Bright™ gel stains are aqueous based, there are no hazardous chemicals like methanol or acetic acid to worry about. Blazin' Bright™ Protein Gel Stain is certified under CCR Title 22 as non-toxic to the environment for drain disposal after a simple pH neutralization step.

Blazin' Bright™ Luminescent UV has a detection limit around 1-10 ng, depending on the detection method used (staining intensity varies between proteins) and does not cause gel shrinkage. Blazin' Bright™ staining is also fully compatible with mass spectrometry (MS) and Edman-based sequencing.

Brilliant Green is a stain for differentiating E. coli from S. typhosa. It is also used in bacteriological media.

Bromocresol Green sodium salt is a tracking dye for RNA gels with a pH range of 3.8 (yellow) to 5.4 (blue).

Bromophenol blue is a dye for tracking proteins and nucleic acids in gel electrophoresis. Bromophenol blue migrates at about the same rate as ~500bp DNA in a 1% agarose gel and at the buffer front in protein polyacrylamide gels.

Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 (CBBG) is a member of the Coomassie family and is used as a common analytical dye in SDS-PAGE and BN-PAGE. CBBG can also be used with the Bradford Method to determine protein concentration.

Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 (CBBR) is a member of the Coomassie family and is used extensively as an analytical dye in SDS-PAGE.

Crystal violet is used in the classification of bacteria and is the active ingredient in Gram stain.