Hoechst 33258

Hoechst 33258 is a blue fluorescent dye commonly used as a nucleic acid stain for eukaryotic and bacterial cells. The dye has high affinity for double-stranded DNA, especially those with AT-rich sequences. Hoechst dyes are membrane permeable and allow staining of living cells. They have also been documented to exhibit lower cellular toxicity than DAPI. Hoechst 33258 is excited at around 350 nm and has an emission wavelength maximum at around 461 nm. Hoechst dyes are used in fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry for cell viability studies.