Nigakinone
Based on 1 Customer Validation
Nigakinone is an orally active FXR agonist and NLRP3 inhibitor. Nigakinone suppresses bile acid-induced inflammation and cell damage, regulates the bile acid profile, and alleviates intestinal mucosal barrier injury. Nigakinone synergizes with Irinotecan (HY-16562) to inhibit the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells as well as the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumors. Nigakinone can be used in research related to ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer.
For research use only. We do not sell to patients.
- Purity : 99.95%
- CAS No.: 18110-86-6
- Formula: C15H10N2O3
- Molecular Weight:266.25
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Storage:Powder -20°C, 3 years , 4°C, 2 years ; In solvent -80°C, 6 months , -20°C, 1 month
Biological Activity
Description
IC50 & Target
[1]|
NLRP3 |
Cellular Effect
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Cell Line
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Type | Value | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNE-2 | IC50 |
7.96 μg/mL
Compound: 39
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Cytotoxicity against human CNE-2 cells incubated for 48 hrs by MTT assay
Cytotoxicity against human CNE-2 cells incubated for 48 hrs by MTT assay
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[PMID: 34332400] |
In Vitro
Nigakinone (10 μM; 24 h) functionally activates hFXR in HEK293T cells and significantly enhances BSEP promoter activity in an hFXR-dependent manner[1].
Nigakinone (0.2-5 μM; 24 h) alleviates Lithocholic acid (LCA) (HY-B0172)-induced inflammatory responses and tight junction damage in CT26 cells by activating FXR, and this effect is abolished in FXR-silenced cells[1].
Nigakinone (0.2-5 μM) significantly upregulates the expression of FXR protein in HCT116 colon cancer cells with low FXR expression[2].
Nigakinone (0.2-5 μM) significantly upregulates the expression of FXR protein in FXR-low-expressing Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells[2].
As an FXR agonist, nigakinone induces concentration-dependent upregulation of FXR downstream target genes FGF19 and SHP in FXR-low-expressing HCT116 colorectal cancer cells[2].
Nigakinone acts as an FXR agonist in HT-29 colon cancer cells with high FXR expression, and significantly upregulates FGF19 and SHP, the downstream target genes of FXR[2].
Nigakinone (0.2-5 μM; 48 h) synergistically inhibits the viability of HCT116, Caco-2, and HT-29 siFXR colorectal cancer cells with low FXR expression[2].
Nigakinone (1 μM; 24 h, 48 h) synergistically inhibits the migration of HCT116, Caco-2, and HT-29 siFXR colorectal cancer cells with low FXR expression, in combination with Irinotecan[2].
Nigakinone (1 μM; 48 h) acts synergistically with Irinotecan to inhibit the clonogenic activity of HCT116 and Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells with low FXR expression[2].
MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only. Further protocols information, click here.
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Cell Line:FXR-low HCT116, Caco-2, and HT-29 siFXR (FXR-knockdown) colorectal cancer cells
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Concentration:0.2, 1, 5 μM nigakinone; 5, 10, 20 μM irinotecan
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Incubation Time:48 h
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Result:Exhibited significant synergistic inhibition of cell viability across all tested cell lines.
Showed Q values predominantly exceeding 1.15 and CI values below 1 across different concentration combinations.
Achieved synergy at lower concentrations than silibinin, a comparable dual FXR inducer/agonist.
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Cell Line:FXR-low HCT116, Caco-2, and HT-29 siFXR colorectal cancer cells
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Concentration:1 μM nigakinone; 10 μM irinotecan
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Incubation Time:24 h, 48 h
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Result:Exhibited significant synergistic inhibition of cell migration at both 24 h and 48 h across all tested cell lines.
Showed Q values ranging from 1.15 to 1.61 and CI values ranging from 0.29 to 0.57.
In Vivo
Nigakinone (60 mg/kg; p.o.; once daily; for 9 consecutive days) alleviates dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis in wild-type C57BL/6 mice by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated inflammatory responses, protecting the intestinal mucosal barrier, and regulating the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids via activation of FXR[1].
Nigakinone (60 mg/kg; p.o.; once daily; for 9 consecutive days) fails to alleviate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis in FXR-knockout C57BL/6N mice, confirming that FXR is an essential prerequisite for nigakinone to exert its therapeutic effect on colitis[1].
Nigakinone (35 mg/kg; i.p.; once daily; for 21 consecutive days) alone inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer xenografts by upregulating FXR; when combined with Irinotecan, it exerts synergistic antitumor activity, enhancing the inhibition of cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis[2].
MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.
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Animal Model:Sprague-Dawley (SD) (male, 200-220 g, ulcerative colitis induced by 4% DSS ad libitum for 7 days)[1]
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Dosage:25 mg/kg; 50 mg/kg; 100 mg/kg
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Administration:p.o.; daily; 9 days
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Result:Significantly reduced body weight loss, lowered DAI scores, decreased myeloperoxidase (MPO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels, and alleviated colon tissue damage including mucosal ulceration, crypt loss, and inflammatory infiltration.
Significantly reduced colon tissue mRNA expression of NLRP3 and caspase-1, and protein expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, ASC-2, and pro-caspase-1 (100 mg/kg dose).
Significantly increased colon tissue mRNA expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin, and protected colonic microvilli and tight junctions (100 mg/kg dose).
Significantly reduced total bile acid (TBA) pool size in serum, liver, ileum, and colon; decreased BA proportion in liver and colon while increasing BA proportion in serum and ileum; shifted BA profile to reduce primary BA and increase secondary BA (100 mg/kg dose).
Significantly increased mRNA and protein expression of FXR in liver and ileum; increased liver mRNA expression of BSEP, ileum mRNA expression of FGF15, ASBT, and IBABP; and decreased liver protein expression of CYP7A1 and NTCP (100 mg/kg dose).
Significantly increased colon tissue mRNA and protein expression of FXR.
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Animal Model:C57BL/6 (WT) (male, 20-22 g, ulcerative colitis induced by 3.5% DSS ad libitum for 7 days)[1]
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Dosage:60 mg/kg
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Administration:p.o.; daily; 9 days
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Result:Significantly reduced body weight loss, lowered DAI scores, reversed colon length shortening, decreased serum levels of MPO, TNF-α, and IL-1β, and reduced colon histological scores and tissue damage.
Significantly increased colon tissue mRNA and protein expression of FXR; reduced mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, ASC-2, and pro-caspase-1; and increased mRNA and protein expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-1.
Significantly reduced total BA pool size, decreased BA proportion in liver and colon while increasing BA proportion in serum and ileum, increased liver protein expression of FXR, BSEP, SHP, and OSTβ, decreased liver protein expression of CYP7A1 and NTCP, and increased ileum protein expression of FXR, IBABP, and OSTβ.
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Animal Model:C57BL/6N (FXR KO) (male, 20-22 g, ulcerative colitis induced by 3.5% DSS ad libitum for 7 days)[1]
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Dosage:60 mg/kg
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Administration:p.o.; daily; 9 days
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Result:Did not significantly reduce body weight loss, lower DAI scores, reverse colon length shortening, decrease serum levels of MPO, TNF-α, and IL-1β, or reduce colon histological scores and tissue damage.
Did not significantly reduce colon tissue mRNA or protein expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, ASC-2, or pro-caspase-1, or increase mRNA or protein expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-1.
Did not significantly reduce total BA pool size, alter BA proportion distribution in serum, liver, ileum, or colon, or regulate liver or ileum protein expression of bile acid transporters and regulators.
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Animal Model:BALB/c nude (5-week-old, male, SPF-grade, HCT116 cell-derived subcutaneous xenograft model)[2]
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Dosage:35 mg/kg (single agent); 35 mg/kg (in combination with irinotecan 40 mg/kg)
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Administration:i.p.; daily; 21 days (single agent); i.p.; daily (nigakinone) + weekly (irinotecan); 21 days (combination)
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Result:Reduced tumor weight relative to the control group.
Significantly upregulated FXR protein expression in tumor tissues compared to the control and irinotecan-only groups.
Decreased Ki67 expression compared to the control group.
Increased cleaved caspase 3 expression compared to the control group.
Produced a synergistic reduction in tumor volume relative to irinotecan alone when combined with irinotecan.
Produced a synergistic reduction in tumor weight relative to irinotecan alone when combined with irinotecan.
Further decreased Ki67 expression compared to irinotecan alone when combined with irinotecan.
Further increased cleaved caspase 3 expression compared to irinotecan alone when combined with irinotecan.
Maintained significant FXR upregulation in tumor tissues when combined with irinotecan.
Showed no significant differences in organ indices (heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidneys, brain) or colon length between nigakinone-treated and control groups, indicating good tolerability.
Chemical Information
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CAS No. 18110-86-6
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Appearance Solid
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Molecular Weight 266.25
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Formula C15H10N2O3
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Color Light yellow to yellow
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SMILES
O=C1N2C3=C(N=CC=C3C4=C2C=CC=C4)C(OC)=C1O
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Structure Classification
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Initial Source
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Shipping
Room temperature in continental US; may vary elsewhere.
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Storage
Powder -20°C 3 years 4°C 2 years In solvent -80°C 6 months -20°C 1 month
Solvent & Solubility
In Vitro:
DMSO : 6.25 mg/mL (23.47 mM; ultrasonic and warming and heat to 60°C; Hygroscopic DMSO has a significant impact on the solubility of product, please use newly opened DMSO)
Please refer to the solubility information to select the appropriate solvent. Once prepared, please aliquot and store the solution to prevent product inactivation from repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Storage method and period of stock solution: -80°C, 6 months; -20°C, 1 month. When stored at -80°C, please use it within 6 months. When stored at -20°C, please use it within 1 month.
Please refer to the solubility information to select the appropriate solvent. Once prepared, please aliquot and store the solution to prevent product inactivation from repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Storage method and period of stock solution: -80°C, 6 months; -20°C, 1 month. When stored at -80°C, please use it within 6 months. When stored at -20°C, please use it within 1 month.
Concentration (start) × Volume (start) = Concentration (final) × Volume (final)
Protocols
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How to Select the Route of Administration for Mammals
Route-of-administration selection in mammals is a pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, formulation, animal-welfare, and translational decision, not a default technical choice. The selected route should match the study goal: intravenous dosing is most useful when complete systemic exposure and rapid onset are required, oral dosing is most translational for orally intended medicines but is affected by absorption and first-pass metabolism, subcutaneous or intramuscular dosing can provide slower systemic exposure, and intraperitoneal dosing can be useful in rodent proof-of-concept studies but may have limited clinical translation. Published route-comparison studies show that the same compound can produce different exposure, onset, bioavailability, tissue distribution, and tolerability depending on route; therefore, route choice should be supported by pilot pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic evidence when the literature is insufficient. Unresolved questions include how to standardize route sel
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Cell migration
Cell migration is a method that plays an important role in wound healing, cell differentiation, embryonic development, etc.
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DSS-Induced Colitis
Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis is generated by administering DSS in mouse drinking water, producing epithelial injury, barrier disruption, weight loss, diarrhea, fecal blood, colon shortening, histologic mucosal damage, and inflammatory mediator changes; the model is mainly used to study acute or chronic intestinal inflammation resembling selected features of ulcerative colitis. DSS injury is interpreted through clinical and tissue readouts rather than a single molecular endpoint: daily body weight, stool consistency, and bleeding are combined into a disease activity index, while colon length, histology, cytokines, myeloperoxidase activity, intestinal permeability, and tight-junction markers provide complementary measures of inflammation and barrier damage.
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TNBS-Induced Colitis
TNBS-induced colitis is produced by intrarectal delivery of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid in ethanol, where ethanol disrupts the mucosal barrier and TNBS haptenates colonic proteins, generating immune-mediated colonic inflammation with weight loss, diarrhea, ulceration, transmural injury, inflammatory-cell infiltration, and cytokine responses. The model is used as an experimental intestinal inflammation model with Crohn’s disease–like features, especially when Th1-type responses, IL-12–dependent inflammation, chronic relapsing inflammation, or fibrosis-related endpoints are studied.
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Patient-Derived Xenograft (PDX)
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are generated by engrafting primary human tumor tissue directly into immunodeficient mice, allowing in vivo propagation of patient tumor biology without initial in vitro adaptation. These models are used to preserve key histopathological and molecular characteristics of the original tumor and enable assessment of tumor growth dynamics and therapeutic response in a living organism. The biological readout is tumor engraftment and subsequent growth in the murine host, which reflects the ability of human tumor cells to survive, vascularize, and expand in an immunocompromised microenvironment.
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Splenic/Portal-Vein Liver Metastasis Xenograft
Splenic and portal-vein liver metastasis xenograft models deliver tumor cells into the portal circulation so that cells reach the liver first and form hepatic metastatic lesions; splenic injection uses the spleen as an access route to the portal system, while direct portal-vein injection introduces cells into the portal vein without requiring splenectomy. The assay detects liver colonization, intrahepatic tumor growth, tumor distribution, treatment response, survival, and liver-metastasis microenvironment changes; readouts include bioluminescence or fluorescence imaging, gross liver nodule counts, liver weight or tumor burden, histology, and survival.
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Research Protocol for Inflammation-related Diseases
The NLRP3 inflammasome is a cytosolic innate immune signaling platform that integrates priming signals and danger-signal activation to promote caspase-1 activation, maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, and gasdermin D-mediated pyroptotic cell death. The core experimental logic is to determine whether inflammatory disease phenotypes are driven by increased NLRP3 expression, ASC-containing inflammasome assembly, caspase-1 cleavage, GSDMD cleavage, and extracellular release of IL-1β/IL-18 rather than by nonspecific cell injury alone. The pathway is strongly linked to inflammation-related disease phenotypes because monosodium urate crystals activate NALP3/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in gout-like crystal inflammation, cholesterol crystals activate NLRP3 inflammasomes in atherogenesis models, and DSS-induced intestinal inflammation has been reported to involve NLRP3 inflammasome activity. However, experimental colitis studies also show context-dependent protective effects of NLRP3 inflammasome co
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Subcutaneous Cell-Line-Derived Xenograft
Subcutaneous cell-line-derived xenograft (CDX) models are established by implanting cultured human cancer cell lines into immunodeficient mice, where the injected cells form localized tumors that can be monitored in vivo as a measure of tumorigenic potential, growth kinetics, and treatment response. These models are widely used in oncology research because they allow reproducible tumor formation and enable comparative assessment of tumor growth between different cell lines or genetic manipulations in a controlled in vivo microenvironment. Subcutaneous implantation of cancer cells in immunodeficient mice is a standard approach for evaluating tumor growth behavior and therapeutic response across multiple cancer types, including prostate, esophageal, pancreatic, and colon cancer models.
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Orthotopic Cell-Line Xenograft
Orthotopic cell-line xenograft models involve implantation of human cancer cell lines into the anatomically corresponding organ of immunodeficient mice to reproduce tumor growth within a native microenvironment, enabling more clinically relevant tumor behavior compared with subcutaneous models. These models are widely used because orthotopic placement better recapitulates tumor progression, including invasion and metastatic spread, which are often underrepresented in heterotopic implantation systems. Compared with conventional xenografts, orthotopic implantation is described as more technically complex but provides improved simulation of tumor-microenvironment interactions and metastatic behavior, making it particularly valuable for translational oncology research. Surgical orthotopic implantation approaches have been emphasized as enabling faithful reproduction of clinical cancer features, including metastasis and disease progression patterns that align with the tumor’s organ of origi
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Cell Viability Determination by MTT Colorimetric Assay
The following protocol uses the MTT colorimetric assay as a classic literature-established method for assessing cell viability/metabolic activity in cultured mammalian cells. MTT[3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] is reduced by metabolically active cells to a colored formazan product; the amount of formazan is quantified spectrophotometrically and provides an indirect measure of metabolically active viable cells. Importantly, MTT reduction reflects cellular oxidoreductase/metabolic activity rather than an absolute direct count of living cells, so changes in cellular metabolism can alter the signal independently of cell number.
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Intraperitoneal/Peritoneal Dissemination Xenograft
Intraperitoneal (IP) or peritoneal dissemination xenograft models are based on the introduction of human cancer cells into the peritoneal cavity of immunodeficient mice, where they attach to peritoneal surfaces, form multicellular aggregates or spheroids, and progressively generate disseminated tumor nodules that mimic advanced peritoneal metastatic disease. These models are widely used to study ovarian cancer progression, tumor-microenvironment interactions, and intraperitoneal therapeutic responses, often incorporating bioluminescence or fluorescence imaging to longitudinally monitor tumor burden in vivo. The biological principle relies on the capacity of tumor cells such as SKOV3 or related ovarian carcinoma lines to survive in suspension, aggregate within ascites-like fluid, adhere to mesothelial surfaces, and invade peritoneal organs, thereby recapitulating human peritoneal carcinomatosis patterns observed in advanced disease.
Purity & Documentation
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Data Sheet (293 KB)
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SDS (396 KB)
- English - EN (396 KB)
- Français - FR (396 KB)
- Deutsch - DE (396 KB)
- Norwegian - NO (396 KB)
- Español - ES (396 KB)
- Swedish - SV (396 KB)
- Italian - IT (396 KB)
- Korean - KR (396 KB)
- Portuguese - PT (396 KB)
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Handling Instructions (2659 KB)
References
[1]. Liu F, et al. Nigakinone alleviates DSS-induced experimental colitis via regulating bile acid profile and FXR/NLRP3 signaling pathways. Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2023 Jan;37(1):15-34. [Content Brief]
[2]. Zhang Y, et al. Nigakinone enhances FXR expression to synergize with irinotecan in suppressing colorectal cancer cells and xenografts. Biochemical pharmacology. 2026 Jul;249:117904. [Content Brief]
Complete Stock Solution Preparation Table
Please refer to the solubility information to select the appropriate solvent. Once prepared, please aliquot and store the solution to prevent product inactivation from repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Storage method and period of stock solution: -80°C, 6 months; -20°C, 1 month. When stored at -80°C, please use it within 6 months. When stored at -20°C, please use it within 1 month.
| Optional Solvent | Concentration Solvent Mass | 1 mg | 5 mg | 10 mg | 25 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMSO | 1 mM | 3.7559 mL | 18.7793 mL | 37.5587 mL | 93.8967 mL |
| 5 mM | 0.7512 mL | 3.7559 mL | 7.5117 mL | 18.7793 mL | |
| 10 mM | 0.3756 mL | 1.8779 mL | 3.7559 mL | 9.3897 mL | |
| 15 mM | 0.2504 mL | 1.2520 mL | 2.5039 mL | 6.2598 mL | |
| 20 mM | 0.1878 mL | 0.9390 mL | 1.8779 mL | 4.6948 mL |