| Cat# | Product Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kit-1919 | 7-AAD/CFSE Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-0124 | Autophagy/Cytotoxicity Dual Staining Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-2255 | Bioluminescence Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-0195 | Cell Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-0196 | Cell Cytotoxicity Fluorometric Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-2256 | Neutral Red Cell Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-2267 | Crystal Violet Cell Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-0130 | Bioluminescence Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-0511 | LDH-Cytotoxicity Assay Kit | Inquiry |
| Kit-1072 | LDH-Cytotoxicity Colorimetric Assay Kit II | Inquiry |
Cytotoxicity, a term derived from the Greek words ‘kytos’ meaning cell and ‘toxicity’ pointing towards poison, is a significant concept in the realm of biology and medicine. Simply defined, cytotoxicity describes the quality of being toxic or harmful to cells. Particularly, it involves the phenomena where certain substances, organisms, or conditions lead to damage or even destruction of living cells.
In wide-ranging areas such as immunology, cell biology, cancer research, and therapeutics, the role of cytotoxicity is pivotal. Individuals with immune systems that have potent cytotoxic activity are better equipped to fight disease-causing pathogens and tumor cells. On the other hand, uncontrolled cytotoxic effects can lead to degenerative diseases and can accelerate aging. Therefore, understanding cytotoxicity is crucial in several aspects, covering disease prognosis, therapeutic strategy development, and designing drug toxicity tests.
Various cytotoxicity detection methods are utilized, with each having unique principles, accuracies, sensitivities, and their particular advantages and disadvantages. They primarily work by gauging the cellular responses to toxic conditions, either directly by determining cell viability or indirectly by measuring a specific cellular function.
The most common direct cytotoxicity detection methods involve cell viability assays. These tests are based on the concepts that living cells maintain certain metabolic functionalities that die once they perish. The most widely used methods include colorimetric assays (MTT, MTS, WST-8, and WST-1 assays), fluorometric assays (Alamar Blue and CFDA-AM assays), and cell impedance-based assays (xCELLigence systems). These assays utilize various indicators that change their properties based on cellular metabolism or the cell's physical properties, such as impedance.
Indirect cytotoxicity detection methods, on the other hand, often use vital cellular components or the products of specific cellular activities as the indicators. The release of certain cellular enzymes (Lactate Dehydrogenase-based assays) or the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often detected for this purpose.
As the need for sensitive and accurate cytotoxicity detection continues to grow, several preformulated kits have been developed and optimized by various biological product companies. These kits cater to both academic and industrial research and provide a convenient and standardized way to measure cytotoxic activity.
Non-Radioactive Cytotoxicity Assay: this assay relies on the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). It is a released enzyme from damaged cells indicating cytotoxicity.
LDH Cytotoxicity Detection Kit: this kit also works by detecting LDH released by damaged cells. The assay is quick, generally concluding in 30 minutes to an hour.
Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8): it uses the WST-8 dye that is reduced in the presence of viable cells into a colored derivative. This provides a straightforward colorimetric method for cytotoxicity detection.
LIVE/DEAD Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit: this kit can simultaneously determine live and dead cells using two dyes that can operate over a wide range of fluorescence detection platforms.
In summary, cytotoxicity, a vital phenomenon observed in all living organisms, is of significant importance in cellular biology and medical science. Detecting cytotoxicity using various principles has opened new avenues in research and diagnostics, and preformulated detection kits have made the job easier and more efficient for researchers.
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