2-Mercaptoethanol

2-Mercaptoethanol, also known as 2-Hydroxy-1-Ethanethiol or Beta-Mercaptoethanol, is a hybrid of Ethylene glycol and 1,2-Ethanedithiol. This popular reducing agent is used to reduce disulfide bonds in biological applications. 2-Mercaptoethanol can denature certain proteins, while preventing sulfhydryl oxidation in others. This makes this product an ideal component in SDS-PAGE sample buffers.

During RNA isolation, Beta-Mercaptoethanol can be effective in eliminating ribonuclease, as this ≥99% pure product is inherently DNase, RNase, and Protease free. This reagent has been observed to increase growth rates on in vitro cells by enhancing their ability to utilize cysteine.

This Biotechnology Grade reagent is provided as a liquid at 14.3M to be added directly to a number of aqueous buffers, with no filtration needed. Caution is advised, as 2-Mercaptoethanol can be toxic if inhaled. bioWORLD also provides some popular, less-toxic alternatives to Beta-Mercaptoethanol, such as DTT and TCEP. You can purchase 2-Mercaptoethanol in a ready-to-use 2X, 4X, or 6X Laemmli-SDS Sample Buffer, Reducing , as a well as a Tricine-SDS Sample Buffer, 2X.

bioWORLD's products are supplied for LABORATORY RESEARCH USE ONLY. The product may not be used as a drug, agricultural or pesticidal product, food additive or as a household chemical.

References:

See uses in growth stimulation by PubMed.