Live/Dead Cell Double Staining Kit

The Live/Dead Cell Double Staining Kit is utilized for simultaneous fluorescence staining of viable and dead cells. This kit contains calcein-AM and propidium iodide (PI) solutions, which stain viable and dead cells, respectively. Calcein-AM, acetoxymethyl ester of calcein, is highly lipophilic and cell membrane permeable. Though calcein-AM itself is not a fluorescent molecule, the calcein generated from Calcein-AM by esterase in a viable cell emits a strong green fluorescence (λ_ex 490 nm, λ_em 515 nm). Therefore, calcein-AM only stains viable cells. Alternatively, the nuclei staining dye PI cannot pass through a viable cell membrane. It reaches the nucleus by passing through disordered areas of dead cell membrane, and intercalates with the DNA double helix of the cell to emit red fluorescence (λ_ex 535 nm, λ_em 617 nm). Since both calcein and PI-DNA can be excited with 490 nm light, simultaneous monitoring of viable and dead cells is possible with a fluorescence microscope. Using λ_ex 545 nm, only dead cells can be observed.