Rhod-2 AM (KBr), 1mg

This cell-permeable fluorescent calcium indicator is supplied as a 1 mg vial of the acetoxymethyl (AM) ester in the potassium bromide (KBr) salt form, prepared for intracellular calcium measurement in live-cell experiments.

Once loaded into cells, endogenous esterases cleave the AM group and trap the dye inside, where it shifts its spectral output upon binding Ca²⁻ ions. The positively charged rhodamine backbone preferentially accumulates in mitochondria because of the organelle's negative membrane potential, making it a widely used probe for tracking mitochondrial calcium transients in cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other excitable cell types.

Typical applications include flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and high-content imaging of calcium flux in response to pharmacological or physiological stimuli. The dye is excited near 549 nm and emits around 581 nm, sitting cleanly within the standard TRITC and Cy3 filter sets used on most imaging platforms.

For best results, dissolve the lyophilized powder in anhydrous DMSO to make a 1 to 5 mM stock, aliquot to limit freeze-thaw cycles, and store protected from light at -20 °C; under these conditions the unopened vial is shelf-stable for several months. STEMCELL Technologies packages this reagent for research use only and in vitro applications, supporting consistent lot-to-lot performance across imaging and cytometry workflows.