Abcam, ab118970, Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Assay Kit (Colorimetric/Fluorometric)

Size: 100Test / 2000Test
Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Assay Kit (Colorimetric/Fluorometric) (ab118970) provides a convenient tool for sensitive detection of malondialdehyde (MDA). - Complete MDA assay kit including standard curve for quantitation - Cited in over 500 publications - In CiteAb's list of Top 100 most cited Assay Kits for 2024 - Individual kit components also available for purchase with a minimum order of 20 units. Contact us to discuss your needs.
Key facts
Detection method:Colorimetric/Fluorometric,
Sample types:Plasma, Cell culture extracts, Tissue Extracts, Urine (UTI),
Assay type:Quantitative,
Sensitivity:> 0.1 nmol/well,
Assay time:1h 20m,
Assay Platform:Microplate reader

Product details:
Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Assay Kit (Colorimetric/Fluorometric) (ab118970) provides a convenient tool for sensitive detection of malondialdehyde (MDA).
How the assay works
In the lipid peroxidation assay protocol, the MDA in the sample reacts with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) to generate a MDA-TBA adduct. The MDA-TBA adduct can be easily quantified colorimetrically (OD = 532 nm) or fluorometrically (Ex/Em = 532/553 nm). This assay detects MDA levels as low as 1 nmol/well colorimetrically and 0.1 nmol/well fluorometrically.
Lipid peroxidation assay protocol summary
- Add TBA solution to samples and standards, incubate at 95°C for 60 min, cool in ice bath for 10 min
- Transfer to wells of microplate
- Analyze with microplate reader
For higher sensitivity, precipitate with n-butanol, centrifuge, dry and resuspend pellet before analysis.
Related MDA assay products
For an alternative MDA assay, without the heating steps required in the TBARS assay, try MDA assay
ab233471
Getting the best performance from ab118970
Technical Note: MDA is unlikely to be detectable in healthy urine but may be elevated in the presence of infection or disease of the urinary tract.
How other researchers are using Lipid Peroxidation Assay Kit ab118970
The MDA/TBARs assay kit has been used in publications in a variety of sample types, including:
- Human: serum
, hippocampal primary cell extracts
, A375 cultured cell lysates
, plasma and platelet samples
- Mouse: neuronal cell lysates
, heart tissue extract
, plasma
, cell extracts
- Rat: hippocampal tissue extracts
, cardiomyocyte extracts of cultured cells
, lung lysates
- Pig: serum
References: 1 - Shen J et al. 2018, 2 - Wang Q et al. 2019, 3 - Luo M et al. 2018, 4 - Mustafa AG et al. 2018, 5 - Murphy K et al. 2018, 6 - Guan F et al. 2019, 7 - Costa CRC et al. 2018, 8 - Eleftheriadis T et al. 2019, 9 - Malekiyan et al. 2019, 10 - Zhou Z et al. 2018, 11 - Li L et al. 2018, 12 - Lee SE and Kang KS 2019
Related and recommended products
Also see the popular 4-HNE Assay Kit
ab238538
as an alternative marker of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.
Iron Assay Kit
ab83366
is often used in combination with Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Assay Kit ab118970 and GSH/ GSSG Assay Kit
ab239709
in the study of ferroptosis.
Background information
Lipid peroxidation refers to the oxidative degradation of lipids. In this process free radicals take electrons from the lipids (generally in cell membranes), resulting in cell damage. Quantification of lipid peroxidation is essential to assess oxidative stress. Lipid peroxidation forms reactive aldehydes such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4- HNE) as natural bi-products. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) are often used as markers of lipid peroxidation, and to assay for oxidative damage / oxidative stress.
The MDA assay is also refered to as a TBARS assay. The TBARS assay (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay) is used to measure lipid peroxidation in cell and tissue extracts, and biological fluids. The TBARS assay detects the level of MDA (malondialdehyde), the major lipid oxidation product, and also some minor related compounds. It is often considered a good index of the level of oxidative stress in a biological sample.
Other notes
This product is manufactured by BioVision, an Abcam company and was previously called K739 Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Colorimetric/Fluorometric Assay Kit. K739-100 is the same size as the 100 test size of ab118970.
The Safety Datasheet for this product has been updated for certain countries. Please check the current version in the Support and downloads section.

Properties and Storage Information:
Shipped at conditions-Blue Ice, Appropriate short-term storage conditions--20°C, Appropriate long-term storage conditions--20°C, Storage information-Please refer to protocols

Supplementary Information:
This supplementary information is collated from multiple sources and compiled automatically.
Lipid peroxidation is a biochemical process that involves the oxidative degradation of lipids which are essential components of cellular membranes. It is often referred to by scientists as lipid peroxidation or simply peroxidation. This process mainly occurs in polyunsaturated fatty acids and plays a significant role in cell membrane damage. Lipid peroxidation leads to the formation of reactive aldehydes including malondialdehyde (MDA) which serve as an important marker for oxidative stress detectable by mda assay kits. In tissues lipid peroxidation occurs prominently in cells with high oxidative metabolism such as the liver brain and muscle tissues.
Biological function summary
This process results in structural and functional impairment of cell membranes potentially affecting cellular functions. Lipid peroxidation does not operate as part of a larger complex but generates secondary products such as MDA which can form adducts with proteins and DNA thereby disrupting cellular integrity. Scientists frequently measure these products using specialized tools like the malondialdehyde test and lipid peroxidation assay as these provide insights into the extent of oxidative damage within biological samples such as blood tissues and organs.
Pathways
Lipid peroxidation is critically involved in the oxidative stress response and inflammation pathways. The oxidative stress response pathway highlights the imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to damage. Antioxidant proteins such as glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase can counteract peroxidation. The inflammation pathway connects lipid peroxidation to cellular mechanisms that trigger inflammatory signals involving proteins like cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase.
Lipid peroxidation significantly contributes to the pathophysiology of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis. In Alzheimer's oxidative stress and resulting lipid peroxidation damage neural cells linking the process to proteins such as amyloid-beta. In atherosclerosis the peroxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in vascular walls initiates plaque formation and connects to proteins like apolipoprotein B. Researchers utilize MDA test kits to assess the extent of lipid peroxidation offering insights into disease progression and potential therapeutic targets.