Merck, SBR00127-5ML, WST-8 Ready Made Solution

General description
WST-8 is a water-soluble tetrazolium salt commonly used in colorimetric assays to measure cell viability and enzyme activity. Upon reduction, primarily by mitochondrial dehydrogenases in viable cells, it produces a yellow-orange formazan dye, which can be quantitatively measured via absorbance, reflecting the metabolic activity of the cells.

To enhance electron transfer and boost sensitivity, 1-methoxy-5-methylphenazinium methyl sulfate (1-methoxy PMS or mPMS) is employed as an intermediate electron carrier. This combination forms the foundation of the WST-8/mPMS assay, a widely used method due to its simplicity, high sensitivity, and non-radioactive nature. The WST-8/mPMS system is advantageous over traditional MTT assays due to WST-8’s formazan product being water-soluble, eliminating the need for organic solvents in solubilization steps.
Application

• Cell Viability and Cytotoxicity Assays: Used extensively in drug screening, toxicology, and cancer biology to determine cell proliferation or cytotoxic effects. The pairing with mPMS ensures better electron transfer and reduces variability across assay forms.
• Dehydrogenase Enzyme Assays: The WST-8/mPMS system efficiently monitors NAD(P)H production, making it ideal for studying enzymes such as lactate dehydrogenase and other oxidoreductases.
• Microbial Viability: Rapid detection of live microorganisms through metabolic activity was demonstrated using the WST-8-mPMS assay in biosensing platforms.
• Comparative Studies with Other Tetrazolium Salts: Studies have shown that WST-8, when paired with mPMS, outperforms or complements other tetrazolium-based systems (e.g., MTT, XTT) in terms of accuracy and biocompatibility in 2D and 3D cultures.