Product name Nycodenz AG®
It’s a gradient medium derivate of benzoic acid with three aliphatic hydrophilic side chains.
Delivery condition Room temperature
Delivery lead time in business days • Europe: 1 day
• USA & Canada: 2 days
Nycodenz® is water soluble off-white powder.
The density of the solution form can be measured either by the refractive index or it can be determined by spectrophotometry.
The distribution of cells in a gradient can be determined using a hemocytometer, electronic particle counter or by light-scattering measurements via a spectrophotometer.
Nycodenz® does not interfere with either the orcinol and diphenylamine reactions for estimation of nucleic acids, nor with the very sensitive dye binding assays for protein and DNA.
This density gradient medium can be used for fluorometric assays of nucleic acid and proteins.
The presence of sugars and polysaccharides can be determined via phenol/H2SO4 assay with Nycodenz®.
It does not interfere with most assays involving enzyme markers of subcellular component. Commercial scintillants are also compatible with Nycodenz®.
Nycodenz® can be removed from samples by dialysis, ultrafiltration or gel filtration.
Cells, subcellular organelles and other particulate matter can be isolated from the medium by centrifugation without the risk of contaminating the pellet.
Nycodenz® can be used to prepare non-aqueous denaturing gradients.
Aqueous solutions of Nycodenz® have a very high water-activity. Therefore, most of the particles will be fully hydrated in Nycodenz® solution and will band at a low density.
Storage condition
Storage and Stability Conditions of Nycodenz®
It should be stored at room temperature and protected from light.
The product can be stable for up to 5 years. Nycodenz® in solution should be kept sterile.
Avoid extensive exposure to sunlight ( NB. The sunlight effect is negligible when working with this gradient on a day to day basis).
Brand Axis-shield
Applications Cell Isolation, Isolation of subcellular organelles and membranes, Virus purification
Advantages
Advantages of Nycodenz® vs Other gradients
Nycodenz® vs Metrizamide
• Less toxic
• Less viscous
• Heat stable
• Interferes less with a number of assay techniques
• Possibility to sterilize the gradient solution because stable to autoclaving
• Extremely accurate assay of protein can be carried out using either the amid-black filter assay or the Coomassie blue assay
Nycodenz® vs Percoll
• Retain a more normal cell morphology
• Mast cells appear less damaged as judged by histamine release
Related Products • OptiPrep: The ideal density gradient medium
• Lymphoprep: Isolation of human mononuclear cells
• Lymphoprep Tube: Isolation of human mononuclear cells
• Polymorphprep: Isolation of human polymorphonuclear cells
Publications
A few publications mentioning Nycodenz®
1. Philippe N bertin and al. (2011) Metabolic diversity among main microorganisms inside an arsenic-rich ecosystem revealed by meta- and proteo-genomics.
2. Sheung Kwan Lam, Naofumi Yoda and Randy Schekman (2010). A vesicle carrier that mediates peroxisome protein traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum.
3. Evelyn Dixit et al. (2010) Peroxisomes are signalling platforms for antiviral innate immunity.
What is Nycodenz?
Nycodenz is a type of density gradient medium that is used in laboratory settings to separate cells or other biological particles based on their size and density. It is commonly used in a technique called density gradient centrifugation, which involves spinning a tube of Nycodenz and other components at high speeds to create a gradient of increasing density. This gradient allows cells or other particles to be separated based on their density and size, with heavier or denser particles settling towards the bottom of the tube and lighter or less dense particles remaining towards the top.
Nycodenz is often used in research and diagnostic laboratories to purify or isolate cells or other biological materials, such as viruses or proteins. It is also used in a variety of other applications, including blood transfusion, tissue culture, and gene expression analysis.