In Vitro Reduction of Tetrazolium Indicators by Sulfhydryl Compounds

There was considerable variation between the sulfhydryl induced in vitro reduction of the oxidation-reduction indicators (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, 2,3-diphenyl 5-methyl tetrazolium chloride, neotetrazolium chloride, neotetrazolium phosphate-2B, blue tetrazolium, tetrazolium violet, potassium tellurite, methylene blue, and resazurin). The neotetrazolium salts and potassium tellurite showed the greatest reducing activity. The reduction of the indicators by oxidized sulfhydryl compounds in the presence of potassium cyanide closely paralleled the reduction of the sarrte indicators by reduced sulfhydryl compounds. Iodoacetamide was the most effective sulfhydryl inhibitor as demonstrated by indicator reduction.