ICT’s Magic Red® Assays enable researchers to quantitate and monitor intracellular cathepsin activity over time in vitro. Magic Red® detection substrates utilize the photostable red fluorophore, cresyl violet.
Cathepsins are house-keeping proteases primarily localized and active within lysosomes. They are defined by their substrate specificities. Elevated cathepsin enzyme activity levels within serum or extracellular matrix regions is often indicative of a variety of clinically significant pathologies. Cathepsin-mediated diseases include: Alzheimer’s disease, numerous types of cancer, and autoimmune related diseases such as arthritis, and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is usually associated with the accelerated breakdown of bone structure. ICT offers three different preferred-specificity, Magic Red® kits. Each preferred-specificity Magic Red® Cathepsin B, Magic Red® Cathepsin K, and Magic Red® Cathepsin L detection kit contains the preferred dipeptide targeting sequences for the respective B, K, or L cathepsin enzymes.