This TBARS Cuvette Assay Kit is based on the reaction of a chromogenic reagent, 2-thiobarbituric acid, with MDA at 25°C. One molecule of MDA reacts with 2 molecules of 2-thiobarbituric acid via a Knoevenagel-type condensation to yield a chromophore with absorbance maximum at 532 nm,. Sample Types: serum, plasma, urine. Range: 0.5 - 20 μM. Sensitivity: 0.5 μM. Time: 30 minutes ? 2-ThioBarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) are naturally present in biological specimens and include lipid hydroperoxides and aldehydes which increase in concentration as a response to oxidative stress.1,2 TBARS assay values are usually reported in malonaldehyde (malondialdehyde, MDA) equivalents, a compound that results from the decomposition of polyunsaturated fatty acid lipid peroxides. The TBARS assay is a well-recognized, established method for quantifying these lipid peroxides, although it has been criticized for its reactivity towards other compounds other than MDA.3 This TBARS Cuvette Assay Kit offers the researcher a straightforward, reproducible and consistent method for analyzing urine for lipid peroxidation products.