Cell Viability, Proliferation and Cytotoxicity Assays

We offer an extensive line of assays and reagents for analyzing cell viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity across various applications. The assays are suitable for monolayer cell cultures, 3D microtissues, primary cells, stem cells, bacterial cultures or virus-infected cells.

Our cell viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays leverage colorimetric, fluorometric and bioluminescent detection methods. For dynamic research demands, our real-time, live-cell assays provide continual monitoring, generating multiple data points from a single well over time. Alternatively, our endpoint assays offer high-throughput capabilities ideal for assessing cell health efficiently.

These assays are versatile and can be multiplexed with apoptosis assays and other measures of cell health. This multiplexing ability allows for detailed mechanism-of-action studies and consistent data comparison across wells, plates, and over multiple days.

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Introduction to Cell Viability, Proliferation and Cytotoxicity Assays

Cell viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays are designed to precisely measure the cellular and metabolic changes that indicate the health status of cells. These assays are essential for detecting structural changes such as loss of membrane integrity, which signifies cell death, or assessing physiological and biochemical activities that confirm cell viability.

The CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay is recognized as the gold standard and most sensitive cell viability assay available. This assay operates by measuring intracellular ATP levels, where ATP assays quickly lyse cells, inhibit ATPase activity and provide the necessary components for the luciferase reaction. Consequently, the light emitted is directly proportional to the number of living cells.

Promega offers a range of viability assays that use colorimetric, fluorescent or bioluminescent detection, based on the reducing potential of viable cells. Options include the colorimetric CellTiter 96® AQueous One Solution, the fluorescent CellTiter-Blue® Viability Assay and the bioluminescent RealTime-Glo™ MT Cell Viability Assay. Notably, the RealTime-Glo™ MT Assay allows continuous monitoring of cell viability over time without the need to lyse the cells.

The Lumit® hKi-67 Immunoassay for Cell Proliferation is an easy, add-mix-measure plate-based assay for tracking Ki-67, a well-known marker of cell proliferation The assay does not require washing steps or specialized detection equipment. For cytotoxicity testing, our assays focus on parameters linked to membrane integrity loss upon cell death. The LDH-Glo™ Cytotoxicity Assay detects lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, a reliable indicator of cell death. Additionally, the CytoTox-Fluor™ Assay measures "dead-cell protease" activity through a fluorogenic peptide substrate, which is released from cells with compromised membranes. For real-time cytotoxicity assessments, our CellTox™ Green Dye, a fluorescent DNA-binding agent, provides a stable and measurable signal upon binding to DNA from dead cells.