Popular Reducing Agents

Dithiothreitol (DTT) is the common name of the more popular of the two Cleland’s Reagents (the other being Dithioerythritol or DTE). DTT is a powerful reducing agent that forms a stable six-membered ring with an internal disulfide bond which is resistant to oxidation. DTT is often used for the following: reducing the disulfide bridge of the cross-linker N,N′-bis(acryloyl) cystamine to break apart the matrix of a polyacrylamide gel, the reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins, the prevention of those bonds from forming between cysteine residues and lastly, DTT is often used to reduce thiolated DNA in order to minimize dimerization.

DTT is a nearly 7-fold stronger reduction agent than βME (β-mercaptoethanol) and has a less offensive odor and is less toxic.

L-Glutathione is a co-substrate to glutathione transferase found in plants and animals and is involved in the elimination of free radicals resulting from both cellular respiratory and metabolic activities.

TCEP-HCl is an odorless reducing agent suitable for protein applications and in the preparation for electrophoresis. TCEP is water soluble, is stable in a variety of solutions and is particularly useful in the labeling of cysteine residues with maleimides, preventing the cysteines from forming disulfide bonds. As a reducing agent, TCEP has many other desirable features.