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AAT Bioquest

What is the difference between MitoROS 580 and dihydroethidium?

Posted June 13, 2019


I want to measure mitochondria superoxide inside the cells, what is the difference between MitoROS 580 and dihydroethidium in that regard?

Answer

MitoROS™ 580 can diffuse across the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial membranes, therefore directly measuring superoxide within the mitochondria.  Dihydroethidium, on the other hand, is retained in the cytosol. MitoROS™ shares similar characteristics with Invitrogen’s MitoSOX™ Red. Therefore, experiments utilizing MitoSOX™ Red can be replaced with MitoROS™ 580 without any sacrifice in assay sensitivity. In fact, MitoROS™ 580 is less likely to be oxidized by other reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species.

Additional resources

Protocol for MitoROS™ 580

Protocol for Dihydroethidium

MitoROS™ 580 *Optimized for Detecting Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Mitochondria*

Hydroethidine [Dihydroethidium] *CAS 104821-25-2*