Advantages of MTS assay over MTT assay - (Sep/25/2006 )
But what are the advantages of MTS assay over MTT assay?thank you!
Cory et al 1991. Use of an aqueous soluble tetrazolium/formazan assay for cell growth assays in culture. Cancer Commun. 3(7): 207-212
A new tetrazolium analog of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was evaluated as a substitute for MTT in the microculture screening assay for in vitro cell growth. This new tetrazolium compound, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2- (4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS), in the presence of phenazine methosulfate (PMS), gave a water-soluble formazan product that had an absorbance maximum at 490-500 nm in phosphate-buffered saline. The amount of colored product formed was proportional to the number of cells and the time of incubation of the cells with MTS/PMS. MTS/PMS was reactive in all the cell lines tested which included mouse leukemia L1210 cells, mouse Ehrlich tumor cells, mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, and human colon tumor cells (HT-29). HT-29 and 3T3 fibroblasts reduced MTS/PMS more efficiently than they reduced MTT. Comparable to the amount of product formed from MTT, MTS/PMS gave excellent product formation. The IC50 value for pyrazoloimidazole obtained using MTS/PMS was 200 microM; for 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine, the IC50 value was 0.9 nM. These values compared very favorably with the IC50 values obtained by direct cell counts. Further, the same IC50 values were obtained when the absorbances of the formazan product in the 96-well plates were determined after different times of incubation.
P.s. Don't have the article...
Hi
Formazon crystals of MTS are soluble in culture medium and don't need solubilization. Whereas Formazon crystals of MTT are insoluble in culture medium and they need SDS or DMSO for solubilization. Because of this difference MTS saves some time and money.
Hope it helps.
Pravin
I have more question. Can I add MST to cells in 96wlee plate witout whashing up medium and incubate and read OD also in the preasence of the same cell culture medium? It is impotrant becouse I whant to use non-adherent cells and I have some problems with MTT becuse I need to centifuge and to remmove medium do add slovent (DMSO or isopropanol).