ReadyProbes® Cell Viability Imaging Kit (Blue/Red) is a ready-to-use kit that can quickly and easily determine the viability of cells. Just add 2 drops each of room temperature, stable NucBlue® Live reagent (Hoechst 33342) and propidium iodide to 1 mL of cell growth media, then determine viability by counting total vs dead cells. NucBlue® Live reagent stains the nuclei of all the cells and can be detected using a standard DAPI filter. Propidium iodide stains only the nuclei of cells with compromised plasma membrane integrity and is detected with a standard TRITC/RFP (orange) filter set. This kit is appropriate for fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence micro plate readers, and flow cytometry.

NucBlue® Live reagent: stains the nuclei of all cells; detected with a standard DAPI filter (excitation/emission maxima: 360/460 nm)
Propidium iodide: stains the nuclei of dead cells with compromised plasma membrane; detected with standard TRITC/RFP (orange) filter set (excitation/emission maxima: 535/617 nm)
See other ReadyProbes® reagents for cell staining
Learn more about other assays for cell viability

Suggestions for use
• NucBlue® Live reagent and propidium iodide can be added directly to cells in full growth media or a compatible buffer solution.
• In most cases, 2 drops/mL and an incubation time of 5 to 30 minutes will give bright nuclear staining; however, optimization may be needed for some cell types, conditions, and applications. In such cases, simply add more or fewer drops until the optimal staining intensity is obtained.