ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium to formazan by folic acid

Cesare Achilli, Stefania Grandi, Annarita Ciana, Cesare Balduini, and Giampaolo Minetti

Laboratories of Biochemistry, Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, via Bassi 21, 27100, Pavia, Italy

E-mail: minetti@unipv.it

Abstract: The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) to formazan by folic acid, N-(4-aminobenzoyl) glutamic acid, and other amino acids was studied in this paper. The reduction involves only one of the two tetrazolium rings of NBT. The reaction is considerably more rapid with folic acid and N-(4-aminobenzoyl) glutamic acid than with the other amino acids under study. The electron donor moiety appears to be the carboxylic acid in the alpha position. N-ethyl-N′(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide notably increases the rate of the reaction and promotes the reduction of both tetrazolium rings.

Keywords: nitroblue tetrazolium – formazan – carbodiimide – folic acid – amino acids

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-013-0495-5

Chemical Papers 68 (5) 662–667 (2014)