Ac-WEHD-AFC

Ac-WEHD-AFC (CAS No.: 210344-99-3) is a fluorogenic tetrapeptide substrate widely employed for the selective detection and quantitative analysis of caspase-1 activity in biochemical and cellular assays. Incorporating the WEHD recognition sequence, this probe is specifically cleaved by activated caspase-1, a cysteine protease that plays a central role in pyroptosis, inflammasome activation, and pro-inflammatory cytokine maturation, resulting in the release of a fluorescent AFC moiety that enables sensitive signal readout. This substrate is commonly used to investigate inflammatory signaling pathways, innate immune responses, and programmed cell death mechanisms, as well as to support high-throughput screening of modulators targeting caspase-1–associated processes in oncology and inflammation research. In vitro applications typically demonstrate measurable enzymatic activity within nanomolar to micromolar substrate concentrations depending on assay conditions, enzyme sources, and detection platforms. Ac-WEHD-AFC is suitable for use in cell lysates, purified enzyme systems, and relevant experimental models, where assay parameters such as substrate concentration and incubation time should be optimized according to specific research objectives.