D-Luciferin, Sodium Salt

Luciferin is a common substrate for the bioluminescent reporter gene luciferase in in vivo imaging. The mechanism involves luciferase catalyzing the oxidation of luciferin to oxyluciferin in the presence of Mg²⁺ and O₂, resulting in the emission of bioluminescence during the oxidation process. The emitted bioluminescence is then detected using a chemiluminescence analyzer or a liquid scintillation counter.

Currently, there are three forms of luciferin available on the market: D-luciferin (free acid), D-luciferin sodium salt, and D-luciferin potassium salt. The primary difference among these forms is their solubility properties. D-luciferin (free acid) has poor solubility in water and buffer systems, and it needs to be dissolved in a weak base such as NaOH or KOH solutions. It is soluble in methanol (10 mg/mL) and DMSO (50 mg/mL). In contrast, D-luciferin sodium salt and D-luciferin potassium salt dissolve easily and rapidly in water or buffer solutions, making them convenient to use with non-toxic solvents, especially suitable for in vivo experiments. Once prepared as a solution, these three forms of luciferin do not have substantial differences in most applications.

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