AAT Bioquest offers a comprehensive portfolio of physiological indicators designed to monitor and quantify dynamic cellular processes in real-time. These specialized probes enable researchers to detect changes in intracellular ion concentrations, membrane potential, pH, and metabolic activity with exceptional sensitivity and specificity. From industry-leading calcium indicators like Cal-520® and Calbryte™ to versatile membrane potential dyes and robust metabolic assay kits, our physiological indicator portfolio supports applications ranging from high-throughput drug screening to advanced live-cell imaging studies.

Calcium indicators are fluorescent probes that respond to changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations, enabling visualization and quantification of calcium signaling events. These indicators work by reversibly binding calcium ions, resulting in changes in fluorescence intensity or spectral properties that correlate with intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration. AAT Bioquest offers multiple generations of calcium indicators optimized for different experimental needs, from single-cell imaging to high-throughput screening. These offerings include:

Membrane potential indicators detect changes in the electrical potential across cellular membranes, making them essential tools for studying excitable cells, ion channel function, and mitochondrial health. Depending on probe class, membrane potential indicators either redistribute across membranes in response to voltage changes or undergo rapid electrochromic fluorescence shifts proportional to membrane polarization state. AAT Bioquest offers both slow-response (redistribution-based) and fast-response (electrochromic) dyes for different temporal resolution requirements.

pH probes enable real-time monitoring of intracellular and extracellular pH changes associated with cellular metabolism, endocytosis, and disease states. These indicators exhibit pH-dependent fluorescence changes through protonation/deprotonation of ionizable groups. AAT Bioquest provides a range of pH probes with different pKa values, spectral properties, and cellular targeting capabilities.

Ion-specific indicators enable direct measurement of sodium, potassium, and chloride ion concentrations and fluxes in living cells. These tools are critical for studying ion channel function, neuronal signaling, and epithelial transport. AAT Bioquest offers both live-cell fluorescent ion indicators and Amplite® ion quantitation assay kits optimized for high-throughput screening applications.

Metal ion indicators detect biologically relevant metals including zinc, copper, iron, and magnesium, which play essential roles in cellular signaling and metabolism. These probes are essential for studying metal homeostasis, metalloenzyme function, and metal-related pathologies such as neurodegeneration. AAT Bioquest offers selective indicators with various spectral properties and affinities to match specific experimental requirements.

Metabolic indicators quantify key cellular energy metabolites and cofactors in live cells, cell lysates, or biochemical assays, providing insights into cell viability, metabolic state, and enzyme activities. AAT Bioquest's Amplite® and PhosphoWorks™ assay platforms offer sensitive, homogeneous detection methods compatible with high-throughput formats.