The thymidine analog 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) is used to label dividing cells. BrdU is injected intraperitoneally and incorporates into DNA being replicated where it will remain for the life of the cell.
Thymidine is a pyrimidine 2'-deoxyribonucleoside having thymine as the nucleobase. ... Thymidine is a pyrimidine deoxynucleoside. Thymidine is the DNA nucleoside T, which pairs with deoxyadenosine (A) in double-stranded DNA.
High concentrations of thymidine interrupt the deoxynucleotide metabolism pathway through competitive inhibition, thus blocking DNA replication. A single treatment with thymidine arrests cells throughout S phase, so a double treatment acts to induce a more uniform block in early S phase.