Glutathione (GSH) is the principal intracellular low-molecular-weight thiol that plays a critical role in the cellular defense against oxidative and nitrosative stress in mammalian cells. Diminished glutathione levels have been observed in the early stages of apoptosis. BioVision’s ApoGSH™ Glutathione Detection Kit provides a simple in vitro assay for detecting the GSH changes in apoptosis. The assay utilizes monochlorobimane (MCB), a dye that appears to form an adduct exclusively with GSH. The unbound MCB is almost nonfluorescent, whereas the dye fluoresces blue (Ex. = 380 nm; Em. = 461 nm) when bound to glutathione. The reaction is catalyzed by glutathione S-transferase. Thus, the changes in gluotathione level in apoptosis can be easily detected using a fluorometer or a 96-well fluorometric plate reader. |
