Vector Laboratories
Enzyme substrates
A palette of colors for immunohistochemistry
Vector Laboratories is an industry leader in the development and manufacture of enzyme substrates for protein and nucleic acid detection and visualization applications. Choose from 18 different enzyme substrate kits for immunohistochemistry (IHC):
- 13 substrate kits that react with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)
- 5 substrate kits that react with alkaline phosphatase (AP)
These 18 kits provide 9 different color tones for single antigen staining and enable 42 combinations for double staining applications. For single or multiple antigen labeling, enzyme substrate selection plays a crucial role in IHC staining outcomes.
Vector Laboratories’ portfolio of enzyme substrates and the corresponding microscopy characteristics for each substrate are featured in the chart below (see the chart with colors in this flyer). While the information provided here focuses on their use for IHC, it should be noted that many of these substrates are suitable for use in other protein and nucleic acid detection and visualization applications including ELISAs, ELISpots, blotting and in situ hybridization.
| Substrate | Color | Catalog Number |
Microscope | Mounting | Contrast in Pigmented Tissue |
Multiple Labeling |
Heat Resistant |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightfield | Darkfield | Electron | Fluorescence | Spectral Imaging |
|||||||
| PEROXIDASE | |||||||||||
| DAB | Brown | VEC-SK-4100 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| DAB +Ni | Gray-Black | VEC-SK-4100 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ✓ | |||
| ImmPACT® DAB | Brown | VEC-SK-4105 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| ImmPACT DAB EqV | Brown | VEC-SK-4103-100 (100 ml) VEC-SK-4103-400 400 ml | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| Vector VIP | Purple | VEC-SK-4600 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| ImmPACT VIP | Purple | VEC-SK-4605 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Vector SG | Blue-Gray | VEC-SK-4700 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| ImmPACT SG | Blue-Gray | VEC-SK-4705 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ||
| Vector NovaRED® | Red | VEC-SK-4800 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| ImmPACT NovaRED® | Red | VEC-SK-4805 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| AEC | Red | VEC-SK-4200 | ✓ | ✓ | Aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| ImmPACT AEC | Red | VEC-SK-4205 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | Aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| ImmPACT AMEC Red | Red | VEC-SK-4285 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | Aqueous | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| TMB | Blue | VEC-SK-4400 | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous | ||||||
| ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE | |||||||||||
| Vector Red | Magenta | VEC-SK-5100 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| ImmPACT Vector Red | Magenta | VEC-SK-5105 (120 ml) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Vector Blue | Blue | VEC-SK-5300 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Vector Black | Brown-black | VEC-SK-5200 | ✓ | Non-aqueous | |||||||
| BCIP/NBT | Indigo | VEC-SK-5400 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Non-aqueous or Aqueous |
✓ | ✓ | |||
Enzyme substrate combinations
Suggested combinations of substrates and the recommended order in which they should be used in multiplexing applications. See the table with colors in this flyer.
| SECOND SUBSTRATE: | ALKALINE PHOSPHATE | PEROXIDASE | ||||||||
| ImmPACT Vector Red & Vector Red (magenta) | Vector Blue (blue) | BCIP/NBT (indigo) | ImmPACT VIP & Vector VIP (purple) |
ImmPACT DAB, ImmPACT DAB EqV & DAB (brown) | DAB-Ni (gray-black) | ImmPACT NovaRED & Vector NovaRED (red) | ImmPACT SG & SG (blue–gray) | ImmPACT AEC, ImmPACT AMEC Red & AEC (red) | ||
| FIRST SUBSTRATE: | ||||||||||
| ALKALINE PHOSPHATE | ImmPACT Vector Red & Vector Red (magenta) | – | – | – | + | + | – | + | – | |
Vector Blue (blue) | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||
BCIP/NBT (indigo) | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||
PEROXIDASE | ImmPACT VIP & Vector VIP (purple) | – | + | – | + | + | – | + | – | |
ImmPACT DAB, ImmPACT DAB EqV & DAB (brown) | + | + | + | + | – | – | + | + | ||
DAB-Ni (gray-black) | + | – | – | + | + | + | – | – | ||
ImmPACT NovaRED & Vector NovaRED (red) | – | + | + | – | + | + | + | – | ||
ImmPACT SG & SG (blue–gray) | + | – | – | + | + | – | – | + | ||
ImmPACT AEC, ImmPACT | – | – | – | – | + | – | – | + | ||
+ Indicates good contrast - Indicates incompatibility of substrates for various reasons
Enzyme Substrates
A palette of colors for immunohistochemistry
This comprehensive guide starts with overview of the IHC workflow and proceeds to reference everything you need to know about IHC from choosing the right detection system to performing multiple antigen (multicolor/multiplex) labeling.
Contact us
