Intracellular glutathione (GSH) Detection Assay Kit

Product details

Intracellular glutathione (GSH) Detection Assay Kit (ab112132) uses our proprietary non-fluorescent Green Dye, which becomes strongly fluorescent upon reacting with thiol (including GSH in cells). In normal cells, the Green Dye is accumulated primarily in cytosol, but it is partially translocated to mitochondria in apoptotic cells while Green Dye staining intensity is decreased. Cells stained with Green Dye can be visualized with a flow cytometer at Ex/Em = 490/520 nm (FL1 channel).
This kit has been designed to detect apoptosis is cells by measuring the decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), which is an early hallmark in the progression of cell death in response to different apoptotic stimuli in many cells.

This kit can be used together with other reagents, such as 7-AAD for multi-parametric study of cell viability and apoptosis. The kit is optimized for screening apoptosis activators and inhibitors with a flow cytometer.

We do not recommend using this kit in a microplate. A more suitable option might be ab65322.

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Glutathione is a tripeptide that contains L-cysteine, L-glutamic acid and glycine. It is the smallest intracellular protein thiol molecule in the cells, which prevents cell damage caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals and peroxides. Glutathione exists in reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) states. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is a major tissue antioxidant that provides reducing equivalents for the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) catalyzed reduction of lipid hydroperoxides to their corresponding alcohols and hydrogen peroxide to water. In the GPx catalyzed reaction, the formation of a disulfide bond between two GSH molecules generates oxidized glutathione (GSSG). The enzyme glutathione reductase (GR) recycles GSSG to GSH with the simultaneous oxidation of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (β-NADPH2). In healthy cells, more than 90% of the total glutathione pool is in the reduced form (GSH). When cells are exposed to increased levels of oxidative stress, GSSG accumulates and the ratio of GSSG to GSH increases. An increased ratio of GSSG-to-GSH is an indication of oxidative stress. The monitoring of reduced and oxidized GSH in biological samples is essential for evaluating the redox and detoxification status of the cells and tissues against oxidative and free radicals mediated cell injury.