7-AAD Viability Staining Solution 7-AAD

7-AAD is a DNA-binding fluorescent dye for flow cytometry, distinguishing live and dead cells with strong 488 nm fluorescence and minimal spectral overlap.

7-Aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) is a nucleic acid dye that emits strong fluorescence upon binding to DNA. Its fluorescence properties are similar to those of PI and can be excited by a 488 nm argon-ion laser. However, its emission spectrum is narrower and its wavelength is longer than that of PI, resulting in causing minimal spectral overlap. It can serve as an alternative to PI in multicolor fluorescence analysis and can be used in combination with a variety of fluorescent dyes excited by 488 nm light, such as FITC and PE.

In addition, 7-AAD is a non-permeable fluorescent dye. While it cannot penetrate the cell membranes of living cells, it can penetrate the membranes of membrane-damaged cells, such as late-stage apoptotic or necrotic cells, and bind to the DNA within them. This allows it to distinguish live cells from necrotic or late-stage apoptotic cells and is commonly used in flow cytometry.