Table 1.

Examples of detergents commonly used for cell lysis and their properties

Detergent	Properties	Notes
Triton X-100	Nonionic detergent	Depending on the utilized concentration, Triton is considered a relatively mild, nondenaturing detergent. Many enzymes remain active in 0.1–0.5% Triton X-100 solution (e.g., Proteinase K is still active in 1% solution)
	pH 6.0–8.0 (5% aqueous solution)
	Critical micelle concentration (CMC): 0.22–24 mM
	Soluble at 25°C in all proportions; soluble in water, benzene, toluene, xylene, trichloroethylene, ethylene glycol, ethyl ether, ethanol, isopropanol, ethylene dichloride	Can be used to preserve protein–lipid interactions
Sodium deoxycholate (DOC)	Anionic detergent	Common component of RIPA lysis buffer
	pH 5.0–9.0 (1% aqueous solution)
	CMC: 2–6 mM (0.083–0.249%, w/v) Micelle molecular weight: 2,000 g (average), at concentrations above 2 mM	Suitable for isolating membrane-associated proteins and liposome preparation. Disrupts protein–lipid interactions
	Soluble at 20°C; soluble in water in less than 5% solution
Digitonin	Nonionic detergent	Suitable for analyzing membrane-bound proteins and solubilizing lipids
	pH: data not available
	CMC: <0.5 mM, at 20–25°C. Micelle molecular weight: 70,000 g (average)
	Soluble in water at ~5% (w/v); must be heated to 95–98°C first, then cooled to room temperature. Soluble in ethanol at 10 mg/mL
Octyl-beta-glucoside	Nonionic detergent	Suitable for studying membrane-associated proteins
	pH: data not available
	CMC: 23–25 mM (0.6716–0.7300%, w/v); Micelle Molecular Weight: 8,000 g	Readily integrated with mass spectrometry studies (i.e.., does not interfere as much as other detergents with ionization in MALDI MS experiments)
	Soluble in water
Nonidet P-40	Nonionic detergent pH 5.0–8.0 (5% aqueous solution) CMC: 0.059 mM (20–25 C) Soluble in water	Milder alternative to Triton X-100; depending on the concentration it may not penetrate nuclear membranes