Trypan Blue Stain to Assess Cell Viability

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Oncology
Postdoctoral Fellow

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Company:

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Product Name:

Trypan Blue Solution (0.4%)

Catalog Number:

15250061

We manually count viable and non-viable cells using a hemacytometer. Trypan blue allows us to determine the cell concentration by staining live cell membranes but accounts dead cells by staining them blue. The product is easy to use and works well.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Cell culture counting

Starting Material

Single Cell Suspensions of any cell types

Protocol Overview

We dilute the trypan blue (0.4%) 1:10 in PBS for a final 0.04% solution since the concentrated version is too strong but also wasteful.

Tips

Diluting trypan solution in PBS saves money.

Results Summary

We are able to distinguish viable and non-viable cells using trypan blue and hemacytometer.

DOI or PMID #

N/A

Additional Notes

Make sure you mix well.

Image Gallery

Summary

The Good

Easy to use and can easily tell live versus dead cells. Cheap.

The Bad

Can stain clothes if not careful.

The Bottom Line

Wonderful viability solution to help manual counting. Easy to use and reliable over time.

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