The resazurin-based PromoKine Cell Viability Kit I provides a simple and rapid measurement of cell viability. Moreover, this single-step, homogenous cell proliferation assay is sensitive, safe, and cost-effective. It only requires as few as 80 cells for reproducible results. The redox dye Resazurin (also known as Alamar Blue) detects cell viability by converting from a non-fluorescent, blue dye to the highly red fluorescent dye resorufin in response to chemical reduction of the growth medium caused by cell growth. The fluorescent or colorimetric signal generated from the assay is proportional to the number of living cells in the sample. The kit reagents are nontoxic to cells and allow kinetic monitoring. While fluorometric resorufin quantitation is more sensitive, colorimetric measurement is also possible.

The Promokine Bioluminescent Cell Viability Kit I employs bioluminescence to measure the ATP level as a marker for cell viability in mammalian cells. It utilizes the enzyme luciferase to catalyze the ATP-dependent, light-producing oxidation of luciferin. This light formation can be measured using a luminometer or beta counter.

The assay can be performed directly in culture plates requiring no harvest, washing, or sample preparation and can be fully automated for high throughput (10 seconds/sample). It is highly sensitive, detecting 10-100 mammalian cells/well, and it also offers new applications besides cell viability testing, e.g., detecting low level bacterial contamination in blood, milk, urine, soil, and sludge.

Changes in the ADP/ATP ratio are a good indicator for cell viability and can also be used to differentiate between apoptotic and necrotic cell death. High ATP and low ADP levels are usually found in proliferating cells. In contrast, decreased levels of ATP and increased levels of ADP are characteristic for apoptotic cells. In necrotic cells, the ADP levels are even higher, and ATP can be barely detected.

The Bioluminescent Cell Viability Kit II utilizes bioluminescence to measure the ADP/ATP ratio providing an innovative system for fast, simultaneous screening of cell proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, and growth arrest in mammalian cells. The ATP level is determined using luciferin-luciferase reaction described in the Bioluminescent Cell Viability Kit I. The ADP level is measured by its conversion to ATP, which is subsequently detected using the same luciferase-catalyzed reaction. The assay can be fully automated for high throughput and is highly sensitive, detecting as few as 100 mammalian cells/well. It offers highly consistent results with excellent correlation to other apoptosis markers (e.g., TUNEL-based or caspase assays).  

Senescence is an arrested state in which the cells remain viable, but are not stimulated to divide by serum or passage in culture. It is thought to be a tumor-suppressive mechanism and an underlying cause of aging. Senescent cells display an increase of cell size, senescence-associated expression of β-galactosidase (SAβ-Gal) activity, and altered patterns of gene expression.

The PromoKine Senescence Detection Kit has been designed to histochemically detect a specific senescence marker (SA-β-Gal activity) in cultured cells and tissue sections. The specific histochemical marker is only present in senescent cells and is not found in presenescent, quiescent, or immortal cells.