Assessing MTT and sulforhodamine B cell proliferation assays under multiple oxygen environments

Cell proliferation can be measured directly by counting cells or indirectly using assays that quantitate total protein or metabolic activity. However, for comparing cell proliferation under varying oxygen conditions it is not clear that these assays are appropriate surrogates for cell counting as cell metabolism and protein synthesis may vary under different oxygen environments. We used permeable bottom tissue culture ware to compare proliferation assays as a function of static oxygen concentrations under oxygen partial pressure (pO₂) levels ranging from 2 to 139 mmHg. Cell proliferation was measured by cell counting and compared to surrogate methods measuring cell metabolism (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, MTT) and total protein (sulforhodamine B) assays under these different environments in Caco-2, MCF-7, MCF-10A and PANC-1 human cell lines. We found that the MTT readings do not correlate with cell number for the Caco-2 and PANC-1 cell lines under different oxygen conditions, whereas the sulforhodamine B protein assays perform well under all conditions. However, within a given oxygen environment, both proliferation assays show a correlation with cell number. Therefore, the MTT assay must be used with caution when comparing cell growth or drug response for cells grown in different oxygen environments.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10616-023-00584-0.