sodium assay – ION Biosciences https://ionbiosciences.com Fluorescent Ion Indicators | Assay Kits Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:44:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://ionbiosciences.com/wp-content/uploads/ION-Bio-100x100.png sodium assay – ION Biosciences https://ionbiosciences.com 32 32 Brilliant Sodium Assays https://ionbiosciences.com/store/brilliant-sodium-assays/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 19:26:59 +0000 https://ionbiosciences.com/?post_type=product&p=26698 Be sure to check out our new Brilliant Sodium 2 Assay for improved performance]]>

ION’s Brilliant Sodium Assay is a total assay solution for multi-well plate-based, high-throughput measurements of changes in intracellular Na⁺ mediated through a wide-variety of plasma membrane and intracellular sodium channels and transporters. In multi-well, plate-based formats, the Brilliant Sodium Assay can be used to discover and characterize the effects of many tens-of-thousands of compounds and environmental factors on effectors of intracellular Na⁺. ION’s Brilliant Sodium Assay provides all the reagents necessary for use as a wash or no-wash assay with adherent or non-adherent cells. The optional use of a probenecid solution and an extracellular background masking solution (TRS) offers the ultimate in compatibility for cells types which are difficult to load with fluorescent Na⁺ indicators (e.g. Chinese Hamster Ovary, CHO cells) and when performing assays in complete, serum-containing cell culture medium is desired.

ION’s Brilliant Sodium Assay is compatible with fluorescence microscopes, flow cytometers, and plate readers capable of detecting fluorescein or more optimally, yellow fluorescent protein (YFP).

Our Flex kit provides all necessary reagents in a format to maximize flexibility for your assay design and customization challenges. If you want a kit designed just for you, inquire about our Brilliant Sodium Express Kit.

Key Benefits:

Measuring the native ion ensures you:

  • Identify more hits
  • Advance better leads
  • Reduce false positives

 

Compatible with more instruments: 

  • FLIPR and FDSS
  • Fluorescence microscopes 
  • Flow cytometers 
  • Plate readers

 

Works for more than voltage-gated sodium channels:

  • Na+ transporters
  • Ligand-gated ion channels
  • TRP channels
Venn diagram and dose response curves showing hit correlation between ION’s Brilliant sodium assay and electrophysiology in a voltage-gated sodium channel assay (Nav1.x).

Patch clamp versus Brilliant Sodium

A small library screen (78 compounds) for Nav1.X inhibitors confirms accurate hit identification and strong IC50 correlation between Brilliant Sodium assay (ING-2) and the IonWorks Barracuda automated patch clamp system (EP). Dose response curves of 3 separate hits are also displayed. 

  • Accurate hit identification
  • Higher throughput
  • Affordability
Venn diagram showing hit correlation between ION’s Brilliant sodium assay, FLIPR membrane potential assay, and electrophysiology in a voltage-gated sodium channel assay (Nav1.x).

Brilliant Sodium vs. Membrane Potential Assays

Measuring the native ion instead of a surrogate can help you find more real hits and substantially reduce false positives in your HTS campaign. A screen (27,978 compounds) for Nav1.X inhibitors shows a 10% reduction in false positives with our sodium-selective assay when compared to FLIPR membrane potential. 

  • Save time and resources with fewer false positives
  • Don’t miss a potentially valuable hit
Dose response curves for voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav1.1 - Nav1.8) using ING-2 AM, the dye component in brilliant sodium.

Assay Nav1.1 – Nav1.8

Use Brilliant Sodium to discover modulators for all voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav1.x).

Kinetic traces of iPSC derived sensory neurons treated with Nav inhibitors and activators. TTX-resistant and TTX-sensitive sodium channel activity is measured using Brilliant Sodium.

Works with iPSCs

Screen for Nav activity with endogenous expression levels in iPSC-derived sensory neurons. Distinguish between TTX-resistant and TTX-sensitive sodium channels. 

Download the full poster here
Dose response curves of a Nav1.3 assay run in kinetic and endpoint mode using Brilliant Sodium.

Endpoint compatible

Acquire exceptional data on almost any fluorescence-capable instrument, without the need for automation. Data shown is for a Nav1.3 inhibition assay.

  • No FLIPR, No Problem
Representative sodium channel (Nav1.3) data acquired using Brilliant sodium. Veratridine, an inhibitor of Nav channel inactivation, yields a dose dependent increase in intracellular fluorescence.
Sodium transporter assay data acquired using Brilliant Sodium Assay. Inhibition of Na+/K+-pump via ouabain results in increased intracellular sodium (Na+), which increases average cell fluorescence. A dose dependent response is observed.

Works for additional targets too

Brilliant Sodium be used to measure the activity of transporters like the sodium/potassium pump, SLC transporters, ligand-gated channels, and TRP channels as well.

Learn more

See how simple it is to incorporate Brilliant Sodium Assays into your workflow by watching this short how-to video for screening Nav1.5.

Review our detailed application note that walks you through the essential steps in conducting a high-throughput Nav1.5 sodium channel assay.

Working with complex co-culture systems? That’s not a problem for Brilliant Sodium! Read our blog post detailing how to acquire cell-specific CRCs from individual cell types in mixed cultures. 

Interested in learning how ION’s Brilliant Sodium Assay can help you discover a brighter future?

Talk to us with us today for more information or to request a sample.
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