Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 2 complete abstracts (245 words), 8 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Colorless to yellow dye that is reducible to blue or black formazan crystals by certain cells; formerly used to distinguish between nonbacterial and bacterial diseases, the latter causing neutrophils to reduce the dye; used to confirm diagnosis of chronic granulomatous disease.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Tetrazolium, Nitroblue; Tetrazolium Nitroblue; Nitroblue, Tetrazolium; Nitro-BT; Nitrotetrazolium Blue; Blue, Nitrotetrazolium.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Tetrazolium Salts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,320 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Nitroblue Tetrazolium” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 11 of them (0.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 1,891 records.
Reviews account for 30 records (1.3%) and meta-analyses for 0. Randomized controlled trials number 9 (0.4%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,891 |
| 2000-2009 | 309 |
| 2010-2019 | 109 |
| 2020 onward | 11 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 30 | 1.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 0 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 9 | 0.4% |
Method: PubMed query "Nitroblue Tetrazolium"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monocytes and macrophages in malignant melanoma. III. Reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by peripheral blood monocytes | 1978 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 27 | cc by PMID 656304 · DOI · PMC2009614 |
| Inhibitory Effects on NO Production and DPPH Radicals and NBT Superoxide Activities of Diarylheptanoid Isolated from Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Ehthanolic Extract of Alnus sibirica | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 31137531 · DOI · PMC6572109 |
Monocytes and macrophages in malignant melanoma. III. Reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by peripheral blood monocytes [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Peripheral-blood monocytes from normal individuals and from patients with malignant melanoma reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT).
- Closing excerpt
- Since NBT reduction is an indirect measure of intracellular hexose-monophosphate-shunt activity we conclude that the monocytes from patients with minimal disease are in some way activated.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (113 words)
Peripheral-blood monocytes from normal individuals and from patients with malignant melanoma reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT). A quantitative assay for dye reduction was applied to 25 healthy donors and 31 patients with malignant melanoma. NBT reduction expressed as dye reduction per monocyte was significantly impaired in patients with disseminated disease, and they responded poorly to a phagocytic stimulus. Monocytes from patients with micrometastatic disease, however, showed normal resting NBT reduction but, following exposure to a suspension of latex-polystyrene, showed significantly greater NBT reduction than those from normal individuals. Since NBT reduction is an indirect measure of intracellular hexose-monophosphate-shunt activity we conclude that the monocytes from patients with minimal disease are in some way activated.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 656304 · DOI · PMC2009614
Inhibitory Effects on NO Production and DPPH Radicals and NBT Superoxide Activities of Diarylheptanoid Isolated from Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Ehthanolic Extract of Alnus sibirica [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Alnus sibirica (AS) is geographically distributed in Korea, Japan, Northeast China, and Russia.
- Closing excerpt
- All investigated compounds showed excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (132 words)
Alnus sibirica (AS) is geographically distributed in Korea, Japan, Northeast China, and Russia. Various anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-atopic dermatitis and anti-cancer biological effects of AS have been reported. Enzymatic hydrolysis decomposes the sugar bond attached to glycoside into aglycone which, generally, has a superior biological activity, compared to glycoside. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the extract (EAS) from AS was processed and the isolated compounds were investigated-hirsutanonol (1), hirsutenone (2), rubranol (3), and muricarpon B (4). The structures of these compounds were elucidated, and the biological activities were assessed. The ability of EAS and the compounds (1-4) to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) superoxide, and to inhibit NO production was evaluated in vitro. EAS showed more potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity than AS. All investigated compounds showed excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31137531 · DOI · PMC6572109
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Screening for skin-tumor promoters [3]
- Research article Nitroblue tetrazolium reduction by human macrophages: studies in chronic granulomatous disease [4]
- Research article [Peripheral blood neutrophil subpopulations and capacities of NBT test in the diagnosis of neonatal diseases] [5]
- Research article [Diagnostic potential of the NBT test in pediatric practice] [6]
- Research article [NBT test (review of the literature and personal observations)] [7]
- Research article [Value of the nitroblue tetrazolium reduction test in studying the functional activity of leukocytes (review of the literature)] [8]
References
- Hedley DW, Currie GA. Monocytes and macrophages in malignant melanoma. III. Reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by peripheral blood monocytes. . 1978. PMID 656304 · DOI · PMC2009614
- Wang HS, Hwang YJ, Yin J, Lee MW. Inhibitory Effects on NO Production and DPPH Radicals and NBT Superoxide Activities of Diarylheptanoid Isolated from Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Ehthanolic Extract of Alnus sibirica. . 2019. PMID 31137531 · DOI · PMC6572109
- Ohkawa Y, Iwata K, Inui N. Screening for skin-tumor promoters. Biomed Pharmacother. 1988. PMID 3066406
- Vildé JL, Vildé F. Nitroblue tetrazolium reduction by human macrophages: studies in chronic granulomatous disease. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1976. PMID 793345 · DOI
- Gerasimov IG. [Peripheral blood neutrophil subpopulations and capacities of NBT test in the diagnosis of neonatal diseases]. Klin Lab Diagn. 2011. PMID 21735681
- Buiko VP, Bazhora IuI. [Diagnostic potential of the NBT test in pediatric practice]. Pediatriia. 1984. PMID 6387618
- Demin AA, Drobysheva VP. [NBT test (review of the literature and personal observations)]. Ter Arkh. 1984. PMID 6382671
- Nagoev BS, Shubich MG. [Value of the nitroblue tetrazolium reduction test in studying the functional activity of leukocytes (review of the literature)]. Lab Delo. 1981. PMID 6164847
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.