ATP & Related Assays
Measure cellular energy status with colorimetric and chemiluminescent ATP assays, plus Na+/K+-ATPase activity.
Colorimetric kits for an absorbance reader, and a chemiluminescent kit for higher sensitivity.
Na+/K+-ATPase activity, a major consumer of cellular ATP.
ADP, the ADP/ATP ratio and NAD/NADH are in glycolysis and TCA cycle assays; ATP-based viability is in luciferase assays.
ATP is the energy currency of the cell. Its level falls quickly when mitochondria are damaged or when cells die, so ATP is used both as a read-out of energy metabolism and as an indicator of cell viability.
Chemiluminescent assays use the luciferase reaction, in which light output is proportional to ATP, and are the most sensitive. Colorimetric assays need only an absorbance reader.
Chemiluminescent assays are more sensitive and have a wider dynamic range. Colorimetric assays are convenient when a luminometer is not available.
ATP is degraded rapidly by ATPases, so process samples quickly, keep them cold and follow the extraction step in the protocol.
Yes. ATP falls rapidly when cells die. For add-and-read ATP viability assays see CellQuant-Lux in luciferase assays.