Is nitrotetrazolium chloride blue NBT

Chloronitrotetrazolium blue is the chemical full name of NBT, and the two are different expressions of the same compound. NBT is the abbreviation for nitrotetrazolium chloride blue, commonly used as a redox indicator in biochemical testing.

Nitrotetrazolium chloride blue, as a chromogenic substrate, is mainly used in experimental scenarios such as detecting superoxide dismutase activity in the cellular respiratory chain and bacterial nitrate reduction assays. Its working principle is to undergo a reduction reaction by accepting hydrogen ions, generating insoluble blue formazan precipitate, thus forming a visible color change to the naked eye. In the field of medical testing, NBT reduction test is commonly used as an auxiliary diagnosis for chronic granulomatous disease and other phagocytic dysfunction diseases. By observing the ability of neutrophils to reduce NBT, it is determined whether their oxidative burst function is normal.

When using NBT reagents, it is important to store them away from light at 2-8 ℃. When preparing the solution, sterile phosphate buffer should be used. During the experimental operation, the reaction time should be controlled within 15-30 minutes to avoid non-specific staining interfering with result interpretation. For clinical laboratory samples, it is recommended to collect fresh peripheral blood for testing. Hemolysis or prolonged storage of samples may result in false negative results. If quantitative analysis is required, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader can be used to measure the absorbance value of formaldehyde products at a wavelength of 570nm.