Viability Measurements using Propidium Iodide
Examples of Cell Viability Measurement Using PI
Below are images of cultured cells that have been stained with PI and analyzed using a Vision instrument. For each example a bright field and a fluorescent image is provided. In bright-field, live cells appear round with well-defined membranes and bright centers (example cells circled in blue). The cell morphology of dead cells is often distinctly different from live cells. Non-viable cells often have poorly defined faint cell membranes and centers (example cells circled in red). Only the non-viable cells are stained with PI and are seen in the fluorescent images.
3T3 Cells

HEK293 Cells

K562 Cells

PC3 Cells

CHO Cells

Hi5 Cells

LnCap Cells

Jurkat Cells

Viability Measurement in Primary Clinical Cells
Detection of viable cells in primary clinical samples is an important step in evaluating the sample quality and percent of viable cells.
Tumor Digest Cell Images

Viability Measurement in GFP Expressing Cells
By staining the cells with propidium iodide, in a single assay, we can monitor the quality of the cell culture during GFP expression. In this example, healthy mouse embryonic stem cells that are expressing GFP are shown to be negative for propidium iodide staining, while other cells in the culture are PI positive.
GFP Expressing Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
