How Agilent Seahorse XF Analyzers Work

How Agilent Seahorse XF Analyzers Work
Automatic measurement of energy metabolism in real time
Seahorse XF Analyzers measure oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) of live cells in a multi-well plate, interrogating key cellular functions such as mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. XF Analyzers perform compound addition and mixing, label-free analytical detection, and automatic measurement of OCR and ECAR in real time.
OCR and ECAR rates are key indicators of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis and these measurements provide a systems-level view of cellular metabolic function in cultured cells and ex-vivo samples.
For more information on choosing the assay that is right for you, visit our
XF Instrument Selection Guide.
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How Extracellular Flux is Measured

Real-time measurements of OCR and ECAR are made by isolating an extremely small volume (about 2 μL) of medium above a monolayer of cells within a microplate.
Cellular oxygen consumption (respiration) and proton excretion (glycolysis) cause rapid, easily measurable changes to the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and free protons in this "transient microchamber" which are measured every few seconds by solid state sensor probes residing 200 microns above the cell monolayer.
The instrument measures the concentrations for 2-5 minutes then calculates the OCR and ECAR, respectively.
Once a measurement is completed, the probes lift which allows the larger medium volume above to mix with the medium in the transient microchamber, restoring cell values to baseline. An integrated drug delivery system allows sequential addition of up to four compounds per well at user-defined intervals.
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How an XF Assay is Performed

Typically, baseline (basal) OCR and ECAR rates are measured three or four times before adding inhibitors, stimulants, substrates, or compounds by way of the drug delivery ports.
OCR is reported in units of pmol/minute and ECAR in mpH/minute. Compounds that have been preloaded into the drug delivery ports of the assay cartridge are then pneumatically injected, sequentially, into the media in each well. After gentle mixing, OCR and ECAR measurements are made multiple times.
Because Seahorse XF measurements are non-destructive,
the metabolic rate of the same cell population can be measured repeatedly
over time while up to four different drugs are injected sequentially into each well. Total assay time is typically 60 to 90 minutes. Upon completion of an XF assay, other types of biological assays such as cell viability can be performed on the same plate. To maintain normal cell physiology, a temperature control system maintains the cellular environment at 37°C (or other pre-set temperature).
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Seahorse XF Test Kits & Reagents

Seahorse consumables are developed specifically for use with the Seahorse XF Analyzer. They provide sensitive, kinetic measurements to simultaneously analyze the two main metabolic energy pathways: mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis.
Seahorse XF FluxPaks include sensor cartridges, tissue culture plates, calibrant, and utility plates for performing calibration. The sensor cartridges contain solid state sensor probes for detecting oxygen and proton levels in cell culture media. They also have integrated injection ports for introduction of stimuli, inhibitors, and substrates during the assay which enables monitoring transient cellular responses in real time. The XF tissue culture plates are provided in 8-well, 24-well and 96-well formats. Specialized cell culture plates have been designed for spheroids and islets. Every lot of XF Fluxpaks and culture plates is 100% quality controlled for performance and lot-to-lot consistency.
Seahorse XF kits, reagents and media
are designed for performing a wide range of assays with XF analyzers and XF Fluxpaks, to study a range of cellular function, including metabolic phenotyping, ATP production, mitochondrial function, fatty acid oxidation, and glycolysis in real time. They are standardized, optimized open-and-go products that allow to achieve consistent results, reduce assay complexity and improve research productivity. Each lot of products are rigorously tested and validated with cells to deliver high performance and low lot-to-lot variation. Together with Agilent's excellent technical support, these kits, reagents and media will greatly enhance your overall experience of performing XF assays.
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How to Run an Assay
Don't Take Our Word For It
Since its introduction in 2006, Seahorse XF technology has been used in over 5000
peer-reviewed publications.
The power and utility of Seahorse XF technology allows researchers in a wide variety of application areas to better understand their cellular models and make ground-breaking discoveries about the critical role of metabolism in a wide variety of diseases.
Additional Educational Resources
New resources are continually being developed to ensure you have the tools you need to be successful in your research area. Browse some of the latest resources to help you enhance your research.

Measure ATP Production Rate
Measure the rate of ATP production from
glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration simultaneously in live cells
using label-free technology.
Learn more

Immune Cell Activation
Understand the connection between metabolic pathways and immune responses, and perturb immune activation and response in real-time through metabolic measurements.
Learn more

Assays for Glycolysis
Detect changes in metabolic function in real time, providing a window on the earliest events of metabolic switching.
Learn more

XF Imaging and Normalization
Normalize your data and incorporate cell imaging capabilities with an integrated imaging and normalization system for an intuitive and complete workflow.
Learn more

Authenticating Cellular Models
Predict the ability of somatic cell reprogramming to iPSCs, and understand how PSCs alter their metabolism during the differentiation process to terminally differentiated cells.
Learn more

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Technical support

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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.