CFDA-SE | CAS 150347-59-4

CFDA-SE is a cell-permeant, amine-reactive fluorescent dye (carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester) used to track cell proliferation and to follow cell fate in fluorescence-based workflows. After intracellular esterase processing, the resulting succinimidyl ester covalently labels primary amines, enabling stable retention and dilution-linked signal changes during cell division. Its fluorescein emission supports common FITC/GFP filter sets, making it a widely used reagent for quantitative cellular imaging and flow cytometry studies.

1. Cell Proliferation Tracking

CFDA-SE is frequently used by immunology and cell biology groups to quantify proliferation in cultured cell systems by monitoring dye dilution over successive divisions. Researchers label cells prior to stimulation or co-culture, then measure fluorescence intensity shifts by flow cytometry or plate-based fluorescence readout to infer division history from the number of labeled generations. The covalent amine labeling helps maintain signal within cells during the time course, which is particularly useful for comparing proliferative responses across experimental conditions.

2. Flow Cytometry Cell Labeling

CFDA-SE is commonly adopted in flow cytometry workflows to generate robust fluorescent labeling of live cells for gating, tracking, and population-level comparisons. Because the dye reacts with intracellularly available amines after uptake, it produces a stable fluorescence signal that can be used to distinguish labeled versus unlabeled populations and to follow changes in fluorescence distribution following activation, differentiation, or sorting workflows. Laboratories also use it as a practical tool for preparing samples for multiparameter panels where a fluorescein-like channel is available.

3. Cell Migration And Fate Studies

CFDA-SE is used in cellular imaging and functional assays where researchers need to follow labeled cells through time in co-culture, migration, or adoptive transfer-style experimental designs (in vitro or ex vivo). The dye's covalent retention on amine-containing biomolecules supports longitudinal tracking of cell-associated fluorescence, allowing investigators to connect labeling to downstream readouts such as microscopy-based localization or quantification of labeled cell fractions. This makes CFDA-SE a common choice when the experimental design requires persistent labeling rather than transient fluorescence.

4. Lymphocyte Activation Assays

CFDA-SE labeling is widely used in immune-cell assay development to evaluate activation-driven proliferation and response kinetics in lymphocyte cultures. Investigators typically label immune cells, apply stimuli or antigenic conditions, and then quantify the resulting fluorescence dilution patterns to compare activation strength and timing across conditions. The resulting proliferation-linked readout supports routine experimental designs in immunology research, including dose-response studies and time-course experiments where fluorescence intensity distributions are analyzed quantitatively.