Formate Assay Kit

Formate is the anion derived from formic acid, the simplest carboxylic acid. It is also the metabolic byproduct of formaldehyde metabolism in the body, and the eventual metabolic byproduct of methanol, which is first broken down to formaldehyde. At high levels, formate is neurotoxic to the central nervous system and can cause blindness, coma, and death. Although naturally present in the body at low levels, elevated levels of formate may be used as an indicator of formaldehyde exposure and methanol poisoning.

The kit is suitable for the determination of formate in biological samples such as urine and serum.

The Formate Assay Kit is based on the formate dehydrogenase catalyzed oxidation of formate, which generates carbon dioxide and NADH that reduces a formazan (MTT) dye. The intensity of the reduced MTT, measured at 565 nm, is directly proportional to the formate concentration in the sample.