What is BrdU (Bromodeoxyuridine)?

Bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU) is an analog of thymidine, one of the building blocks of DNA. It is widely used in cell proliferation assays to study the cell cycle, measure DNA synthesis, and identify and monitor proliferating cells in living tissues.

Bromo-deoxyuridine is incorporated into DNA during S-phase of the cell cycle. Proliferating cells rapidly assimilate BrdU and are then detected with anti-BrdU specific antibodies using various techniques including immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry.

The use of BrdU has provided researchers with a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and factors that impact neurogenesis. It is commonly used for birth dating and as a diagnostic tool in people with cancer.

In Bromo-deoxyuridine, the thymidine is substituted by bromouracil. Bromo-deoxyuridine is also known as 5-Bromo-2'-Deoxyuridine, 5-BrdU, 5-Bromouracil deoxyriboside, or 5-Bromo-1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl) uracil.