Clinical Significance
In immunohistochemistry the alkaline phosphatase is often used as a marker, conjugated to an antibody. The colored product can either be of the NBT/BCIP reaction reveals where the antibody is bound, or can be used in immunofluorescence.
The NBT/BCIP reaction is also used for colorimetric/spectrophotometric activity assays of oxidoreductases. One application is in activity stains in gel electrophoresis, such as with the mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes.
Nitro blue tetrazolium is used in a diagnostic test, particularly for chronic granulomatous disease and other diseases of phagocyte function. A disease where there is a defect in NADPH oxidase, therefore the phagocyte is unable to make the reactive oxygen species or radicals required for bacterial killing and results in bacteria thriving within the phagocyte. The higher the blue score, the better the cell is at producing reactive oxygen species.
Read more about this topic: Nitro Blue Tetrazolium Chloride
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