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Enzyme Activity Assays and Substrates
AAT Bioquest provides a comprehensive portfolio of enzyme activity assays and substrates for sensitive, quantitative detection of enzyme function in biochemical research and drug discovery applications. Our portfolio includes both complete enzyme activity assay kits and standalone fluorogenic or chromogenic substrates, enabling quantitative measurement of enzyme kinetics across phosphatases, proteases, oxidases, kinases, and other enzyme classes using flexible detection formats.
Amplite® — Kits with high-sensitivity fluorimetric and colorimetric detection
Tide Fluor™/Tide Quencher™ — Optimized FRET pairs for protease substrates and molecular beacons
PhosphoWorks™ — ATP, ADP, and phosphate detection for kinase activity and metabolic studies
Tide Fluor™/Tide Quencher™ — Optimized FRET pairs for protease substrates and molecular beacons
PhosphoWorks™ — ATP, ADP, and phosphate detection for kinase activity and metabolic studies
Browse Enzyme Activity Assays and Substrates
Peroxidase assays and substrates enable detection of horseradish peroxidase activity using fluorogenic or colorimetric substrates, as well as signal amplification reagents commonly used for enzyme-labeled detection applications. HRP is widely used as an enzyme label in ELISA, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry applications.
- Amplite® ADHP and Amplite® IR fluorogenic substrates for red and NIR detection
- TMB and ABTS colorimetric substrates for plate reader and visual detection
- Luminol-based chemiluminescent detection for maximum sensitivity
- ReadiUse™ pre-optimized substrate solutions for consistent results
Alkaline phosphatase assays enable detection of ALP activity in serum, cell lysates, and tissue samples. ALP is an important biomarker for bone metabolism, liver function, and various disease states.
- Fluorimetric assays with red fluorescence output to avoid sample interference
- Colorimetric and luminescent detection options for different instrument setups
- Optimized for both purified enzyme and complex biological samples
- Cell-based ALP detection for osteoblast differentiation studies
β-Galactosidase substrates support detection of reporter enzyme activity in lacZ-based gene expression assays, as well as measurement of endogenous β-galactosidase activity in biochemical and cellular samples.
- X-Gal, ONPG, and fluorogenic substrates for multiple detection formats
- Cell-permeable substrates for live cell reporter assays
- SA-β-gal detection kits for cellular senescence studies
- Blue, green, and red fluorescence options
β-Glucuronidase substrates enable detection of GUS reporter gene activity and endogenous glucuronidase in drug metabolism studies.
- Fluorogenic and chromogenic substrates for plant and mammalian systems
- Applications in phase II drug metabolism research
- Compatible with cell lysates and tissue homogenates
Caspase substrates and inhibitors provide tools for detecting apoptosis through caspase activity measurement. Our portfolio covers initiator caspases (8, 9, 10) and executioner caspases (3, 6, 7).
- DEVD, LEHD, and other peptide-based fluorogenic substrates
- Cell-permeable substrates for live cell apoptosis detection
- Caspase inhibitors (Z-VAD-FMK, BOC-D-FMK) for mechanism studies
- Multiplexed detection with different fluorescence colors
Protease substrates utilize FRET-based detection for measuring MMP, cathepsin, and other protease activities. These substrates are essential for cancer research, inflammation studies, and drug screening.
- Tide Fluor™/Tide Quencher™ FRET substrates with optimized quenching efficiency
- MMP-specific substrates for collagenase, gelatinase, and stromelysin detection
- Cathepsin substrates for lysosomal protease activity
- Generic protease substrates for broad activity screening
Protein phosphatase assays detect activity of PP1, PP2A, calcineurin, and other serine/threonine phosphatases involved in cellular signaling.
- Fluorogenic phosphopeptide substrates
- Malachite green-based colorimetric phosphate detection
- Inhibitor screening compatible formats
Phosphodiesterase assays measure PDE activity for cAMP and cGMP signaling research and drug discovery targeting PDE inhibitors.
- Fluorimetric detection of cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis
- Compatible with multiple PDE isoforms
- HTS-ready formats for inhibitor screening
Additional hydrolase assays cover esterases, lipases, sulfatases, and other hydrolytic enzymes.
- Esterase substrates for cell viability and drug metabolism
- Lipase activity assays for metabolic research
- Sulfatase and other specialty enzyme detection
Protein kinase assays measure kinase activity through ATP consumption or phosphopeptide product detection.
- PhosphoWorks™ ATP/ADP detection for universal kinase assays
- Peptide substrates for specific kinase families
- Luminescent and fluorescent detection options
Luciferase substrates provide bioluminescent detection of firefly and Renilla luciferase reporter genes.
- D-Luciferin and coelenterazine substrates
- Dual-luciferase assay compatibility
- Enhanced stability formulations
Oxidase assays measure activity of glucose oxidase, monoamine oxidase, xanthine oxidase, and related enzymes through coupled detection of hydrogen peroxide generated during enzymatic reactions.
- Coupled enzyme assays with Amplite® peroxidase substrates
- MAO-A and MAO-B selective detection
- Applications in metabolic and neuroscience research
Reductase assays measure nitroreductase, quinone reductase, and related enzyme activities through probe reduction or conversion-based detection methods used in drug metabolism and cellular response studies.
- Prodrug activation studies
- Hypoxia marker detection
- Drug metabolism research
HDAC assays provide fluorogenic detection of histone deacetylase activity for epigenetics and cancer research.
- Class I, II, and pan-HDAC substrates
- Cell-permeable formats for live cell detection
- Inhibitor screening applications
This document (01.0256.251203r1) was last updated on Sat Feb 28 2026. All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.