Anti-Alpha Smooth Muscle Actin Antibody

This polyclonal antibody from Antibodies.com is raised in rabbit against alpha smooth muscle actin (ACTA2), a 42 kDa cytoskeletal isoform that distinguishes vascular smooth muscle cells, myofibroblasts, and pericytes from surrounding tissue. Supplied as 100 µl of unconjugated antiserum, the reagent is validated for Western blot and immunohistochemistry and is reactive with human tissue.

Alpha smooth muscle actin is routinely used as a marker of smooth muscle differentiation and of myofibroblast activation in research on wound healing, fibrotic disease, and stromal remodelling. Studies of vascular pathology, pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis, cardiac remodelling after injury, and the tumour microenvironment frequently rely on α-SMA labelling to identify contractile cell populations and to follow their accumulation as disease progresses.

Because the antibody is unconjugated, it can be paired with HRP, biotin, alkaline phosphatase, or fluorophore-labelled secondary reagents and applied to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections, fresh-frozen tissue, or standard Western blot membranes. For long-term use, aliquot the reagent, store at -20 °C, limit freeze-thaw cycles, and protect from light when a fluorescent secondary is used.