Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8)

Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) is a colorimetric assay used to quantitate cell proliferation, cell viability and cytotoxicity. Product Description CCK-8 utilizes the enzymatic activity of live cells to reduce a colorless compound into an orange dye, formazan. The amount of formazan produced, as determined by absorbance (lambda460 nm), is directly proportional to the number of live cells in the sample. Key Features: Faster results with improved water solubility compared to MTT assays, Higher sensitivity compared to MTS or WST-1 assays, enabling detection of live cells at low densities, Lower cytotoxicity compared to XTT based assays, reducing the noise in the data due to assay components, Excellent stability allowing for long assays (24 - 48 hours), Convenient workflow with a single-component, mix-and-read format, Enhanced accuracy compared to MTT assays, as it targets total dehydrogenase instead of mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. Assay Principle: Metabolically active cells are known to produce dehydrogenase enzymes. Under neutral pH conditions and with the aid of an electron acceptor known as 1-methoxy phenazine methosulfate, NADPH-dependent cellular enzymes operate across the cell membrane to mediate the reduction of the colorless, cell-impermeant WST-8 tetrazolium salt. This yields an orange-colored formazan dye which is soluble in cell culture media or aqueous buffers, exhibiting strong absorption at 460 nm. This absorbance is directly proportional to the number of live cells present in the samples, serving as a reliable indicator of cell viability.