Hoechst 33342 Fluorescent Nucleic Acid Stain

Hoechst 33342 is a popular cell-permeant, blue fluorescent nuclear stain. It is used to visualize the nuclei of living or fixed cells and tissues and is often used to distinguish condensed, pyknotic nuclei in apoptotic cells. Hoechst 33342 emits blue fluorescence when bound to double stranded DNA. It is slightly more membrane permeant than the Hoechst 33258 analog. Hoechst 33342 may be used to identify healthy or apoptotic nuclear morphology and for cell cycle studies.