The extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) refers to the effect of acidic substances released by cells during metabolism on the extracellular environment, which is an important indicator to evaluate the energy metabolism and growth status of cells. During cellular metabolism, energy generation requires either aerobic or anaerobic respiration. When cells undergo anaerobic respiration, a large number of acidic substances are produced, which are pumped by the cell membrane into the extracellular environment, leading to the acidification of the extracellular environment. Therefore, ECAR is an important indicator to evaluate the acidic substances produced by anaerobic respiration during cell metabolism, and its change can reflect the degree of cell metabolism.
The kit uses a specific probe (Ex/Em: 490 nm/535 nm) that changes the fluorescence value when the pH of the extracellular environment changes. The acidified extracellular environment will reduce the fluorescence value of the probe to detect the extracellular acidification rate.