Coumarins are small molecular weight, water soluble, UV-excitable, blue fluorescent dyes (emission range ~410 to 470 nm). They can be either cell permeable or cell impermeant depending on their structure; the more charged moieties that are on the dye he less cell permeable the molecule is. 7-hydroxycoumarin and derivatives are also referred in the literature as umbelliferones or umbelliferyls.
Coumarin dyes are often used to provide contrast in multicolor applications, but because coumarin fluorescence may not be as bright as that of other dyes or may be obscured by autofluorescence, they are only recommended for use with highly abundant targets or in cell tracking applications.
Coumarin derivatives (e.g., MUG, MUP, DiFMUP) are extensively used as substrates for detecting enzymatic activity in cells, homogenates, and solution.
We offer a range of coumarin-based reagents as well as high-performance fluorophores with improved characteristics for labeling and detection.