Product Characteristics

Viable cells depend on an intact mitochondrial respiratory chain and an intact mitochondrial membrane. Toxic agents can be identified using mitochondrial dehydrogenases from viable cells.
XTT (2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfopheny]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide inner salt) is a tetrazolium salt that is cleaved to formazan by the succinate dehydrogenase system which belongs to the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and is only active in viable cells. The mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase reduces the yellow tetrazolium salt into soluble orange formazan in the presence of an electron coupling reagent.
In contrast to the insoluble formazan salt crystals of MTT, XTT is converted to a water-soluble formazan product without the need for a solubilization step prior spectrophotometric quantification. The enzyme activity is measured at 480 nm (optimum) or at 450 nm.