title: Comparison of various methods of assaying the cytotoxic effects of ethanol on human hepatoblastoma cells (HUH-6 line).
abstract: The sensitivity of five kinds of cytotoxicity assays using ethanol on human hepatoblastoma cells (HUH-6 line), which were cultured as monolayers or spheroids, was compared. Ethanol was chosen as a test because it acts on cell membranes directly without being metabolized and exerts its cytotoxicity. The assay methods used were as follows: 3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), colony formation, cell growth and DNA assays. The sensitivity of the assays was: LDH < DNA < cell growth < MTT < colony formation. LDH assay had the advantage that the same culture could be used for multiple assays, but when a small number of cells were assayed, no significant increase in the release of LDH was detected in the assay cultures compared with the control cultures. Although the DNA and cell growth assays were more sensitive than the LDH assay, the extent of cell damage may be underestimated because the damaged cells and DNA present in the cultures are included in the assay samples. On the other hand, both MTT and colony formation assays showed a high sensitivity. The MTT assay was done within 24 h after ethanol was added to the cultures and was applicable to both monolayer and spheroid cultures, while the colony formation assay required 1-2 weeks and it was applicable only to monolayer cultures. Taken together, the MTT assay was the most suitable method to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of ethanol on HUH-6 cells cultured as either monolayers or spheroids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukaya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Namba
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D000431:Ethanol; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; C022616:thiazolyl blue