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Updated: Jul 6, 2025
Viability Assays for Cells in Culture
Published on: January 20, 2014
Cell via Cell Viability Assay Changes Cellular Metabolic Characteristics by Intervening with Glycolysis and Pentose
Jingzhi Fan1,2, Theresa Schiemer1,2,3, Annija Vaska1,2
1Rudolfs Cimdins Riga Biomaterials Innovations and Development Centre, Institute of General Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, Riga Technical University, Riga LV-1007, Latvia.
Abstract:
The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) cell viability assay, also known as WST-8, is widely recognized for its nontoxic nature, making it suitable for further studies on treated cells. This practice is commonly observed in the field of tissue engineering. While live/dead imaging may not readily reveal macroscopic differences, our investigation has uncovered significant intracellular metabolic changes. Notably, we observed substantial down-regulation of metabolites within the glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways. These metabolic alterations predominantly affect energy metabolism and may potentially impact the cellular redox environment. In light of these findings, we strongly recommend that researchers exercise caution when using cells treated with CCK-8 in subsequent experiments.
