Abstract: Disclosed are a method for evaluating the cystine uptake ability of cells having the steps of contacting cells with selenocystine to allow the cells to take up selenocystine, washing away selenocystine not taken up by the cells, and crushing the cells and determining selenocystine contained in the cytoplasm and a method for determining selenocysteine having a step of contacting selenocysteine with a fluorescent dye that specifically reacts with selenocysteine to change in one or both of fluorescence wavelength and fluorescence intensity, or reacting selenocysteine with a fluorescent dye under a condition that the fluorescent dye specifically reacts with selenocysteine to change in one or both of fluorescence wavelength and fluorescence intensity, followed by measuring the fluorescence intensity for determining selenocystine.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to: an oxidation color developable compound that is represented by general formula (1), that has excellent solubility in water, and that is less affected by a substance coexisting in a sample; and an oxidation color development reagent using the oxidation color developable compound. In general formula (I), R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1-6 carbon atoms, X represents a hydrophilic functional group, and L represents —(CH2)j— (j represents an integer of 2-10), —(CH2CH2O)k— (k represents an integer of 1-10), or —(CH2)m—Z—(CH2)n— (m and n each independently represent an integer of 1-10, and Z represents —N+(CH3)2—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —COO—, —OCO—, —NHCOO—, —OCONH—, —NHCONH—, and —(CH2NHCO)q—).

Abstract: Disclosed is a pH-responsive fluorescent compound, represented by the general formula, which is a novel pH-responsive fluorescent compound capable of being specifically localized in mitochondria within cells, which exhibits strong fluorescence under weakly acidic pH environments in lysosomes, and which is not readily subject to interference from autofluorescence and background fluorescence due to other fluorescent substances within cells. Also disclosed are a composition for detecting mitophagy using the pH-responsive fluorescent compound, and a method for detecting mitophagy within cells. In the general formula, L represents a linker, X represents a pharmaceutically acceptable anion, and Y represents a reactive group that may react with a functional group on a mitochondrial protein to form a covalent bond.

Abstract: A fluorescent compound or a salt thereof represented by General Formulae (I) or (II) shown below: In the General Formulae (1) and (II) shown above, R1 and R11 represent an alkyl group or an ?-aminoalkyl group, R2 and R12 represent a hydrogen atom or a alkyl group, R3 and R13 represent an atomic group represented by a formula —(CH2)m— (m is a natural number of 10 or less), R4 and R14 represent an atomic group represented by a formula —CH2— or —NR6— (—NR16—) (R6 and R16 represent an alkyl group), R5 and R15 represent an atomic group represented by a formula —(CH2)n— (n is a natural number of or less), R represents an atomic group represented by any one of formulae —NH2, —NHR7—, NR7R8 and —NR7R8R9 (—NHR17, —NR17R18 and —N+R17R18R19) (R7, R8, R9, R17, R18 and R19 independently represents an alkyl group, respectively) and when R2 and R12 are alkyl groups and R4 (R14) is an atomic group represented by the formula —NR6—(—NR16—), R2 and R6 and R12 and R16 may bind with each other to form a ring.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to: an oxidation color developable compound that is represented by general formula (1), that has excellent solubility in water, and that is less affected by a substance coexisting in a sample; and an oxidation color development reagent using the oxidation color developable compound. In general formula (I), R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1-6 carbon atoms, X represents a hydrophilic functional group, and L represents —(CH2)j— (j represents an integer of 2-10), —(CH2CH2O)k— (k represents an integer of 1-10), or —(CH2)m—Z—(CH2)n— (m and n each independently represent an integer of 1-10, and Z represents —N+(CH3)2—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —COO—, —OCO—, —NHCOO—, —OCONH—, —NHCONH—, and —(CH2NHCO)q—).

Abstract: Disclosed is a pH-responsive fluorescent compound, represented by the general formula, which is a novel pH-responsive fluorescent compound capable of being specifically localized in mitochondria within cells, which exhibits strong fluorescence under weakly acidic pH environments in lysosomes, and which is not readily subject to interference from autofluorescence and background fluorescence due to other fluorescent substances within cells. Also disclosed are a composition for detecting mitophagy using the pH-responsive fluorescent compound, and a method for detecting mitophagy within cells. In the general formula, L represents a linker, X represents a pharmaceutically acceptable anion, and Y represents a reactive group that may react with a functional group on a mitochondrial protein to form a covalent bond.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carrier capable of highly efficiently introducing a compound into cells with low cytotoxicity, which contains peptide lipids represented by the following formula, and a method for introducing a compound into cells using the carrier: wherein R1 is an amino acid or peptide having 1-10 amino acid residues, R2 is a side chain of any amino acid, provided that R2 has a carboxyl group, the carboxyl group may be an ester with a hydrocarbon group having 1-30 carbon atoms, R3 is a hydrocarbon group having 1-30 carbon atoms.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carrier capable of highly efficiently introducing a compound into cells with low cytotoxicity, which contains peptide lipids represented by the following formula, and a method for introducing a compound into cells using the carrier: wherein R1 is an amino acid or peptide having 1-10 amino acid residues, R2 is a side chain of any amino acid, provided that R2 has a carboxyl group, the carboxyl group may be an ester with a hydrocarbon group having 1-30 carbon atoms, R3 is a hydrocarbon group having 1-30 carbon atoms.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water-soluble tetrazolium compound that will form a water-soluble formazan exhibiting long-wavelength absorption and is stable in aqueous solution for a long period and suitable for the quantitative analysis of dehydrogenases or substrates thereof. Disclosed is a water soluble tetrazolium compound expressed by the following general formula (1): wherein each of R1 to R19 independently represents hydrogen atom; nitro group; sulfonate group or alkyl, alkoxy, sulfoalkyl or sulfoalkyloxy groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; provided that each of at least two of R1 to R19 independently represents sulfonate group; or sulfoalkyl or sulfoalkyloxy groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and M represents an alkali metal or ammonium ion.

Abstract: Tetrazolium salt compounds represented by the following general formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently represent hydrogen atom, nitro group, cyano group, carboxyl group or a halogen atom, preferably nitro group; R.sup.3 represents an alkyl group or an alkoxyl group, preferably methyl group or methoxy group; and M represents an alkali metal or an ammonium. The compounds are useful for quantitative measurement of a dehydrogenase, and characterized to have high water-solubility and excellent storage stability in the state of an aqueous solution.

Abstract: A reagent for classification and counting of leukocytes, the reagent containing at least one dye which has the following structural formula ##STR1## where R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 each represent a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group or a lower alkoxy group, R.sub.4 represents a hydrogen atom, an acyl group or an alkyl group, Z represents a sulfur atom, an oxygen atom, or a carbon atom having a lower alkyl group, n denotes 0, 1 or 2, and X.sup.- represents an anion,and specifically binds to RNA to increase in fluorescence intensity, and a method for classification and counting of leukocytes which uses the reagent, whereby abnormal cells such as immature leukocytes and abnormal leukocytes can be classified and counted easily and highly accurately, and at the same time, classification and counting of normal leukocytes as well as the counting of leukocytes can be performed.