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Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care

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Review
Use and comparison of MTT, XTT and iCELLigence methods in the evaluation of drug toxicity
Abstract
Toxicology tests are one of the fundamental methods used in biological and pharmaceutical research. These tests are used to evaluate the viability, proliferation and toxic responses of cells. The study of biological activities of cells plays a critical role in drug development, cancer research, toxicology and various biotechnological applications. Drug toxicology is an important field of research to determine the harmful effects of drugs on cellular and biological systems. In vitro tests are widely used for accurate evaluation of drugs and their toxic effects. These tests examine the effects of drugs on cell cultures, rapidly revealing their potential harmful effects in terms of time and resources. This review discusses the advantages of the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and XTT (sodium 3'-[1-(phenylamino)-carbonyl]-3,4-tetrazolium]-bis (4 methoxy-6-nitro) benzene-sulfonic acid hydrate) tests, which are widely used as cytotoxicity tests, as well as the newer method iCELLigence. MTT and XTT are widely used and reliable tests that measure cell metabolism; both methods are very effective in assessing cell viability, but provide limited dynamic data. In contrast, iCELLigence is a newer technology and provides more in-depth data by monitoring the real-time responses of cells. iCELLigence continuously monitors the growth rate and morphological changes of cells, allowing for more comprehensive and sensitive results compared to traditional methods. Comparison of these methods allows determining which methodology provides more appropriate results according to different research needs.These tests are also used to define the concentration range over which more comprehensive and detailed in vitro testing can be performed to obtain meaningful data on parameters such as genotoxicity, mutation induction or programmed cell death. This review aims to compare these three methods and discuss their advantages and limitations in the assessment of drug toxicity.

Keywords : iCELLigence, MTT, XTT, drug toxicity, cytotoxicity

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Article available in :
Volume 6, Issue 1, 2025
Page : 66-71
https://doi.org/10.47582/jompac.1605042
Article Information
Received : 21 Ara 2024
Accepted : 14 Oca 2025
Published : 14 Şub 2025
Corresponding Author :

Ayşe Nur Coşkun Demirkalp: Vocational School of Health Services, Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Coşkun Demirkalp AN. Use and comparison of MTT, XTT and iCELLigence methods in the evaluation of drug toxicity. J Med Palliat Care. 2025;6(1):66-71.

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