The MultiTox-Fluor multiplex cytotoxicity assay is a novel technology for measuring the relative number of live and dead cells in culture
The assay measures two distinct and independent proteolytic activities as markers of cell viability and cytotoxicity.
A membrane permeable fluorogenic substrate is used to measure an inherent protease activity that is restricted to intact viable cells.
A second non-permeable fluorogenic substrate measures protease activity that leaks from cells with compromised cell membranes (ie, dead or dying cells).
Together, the assays provide inversely proportional values of viability and cytotoxicity that are useful for normalising data to cell number.
Normalisation results in data that is much more comparable well-to-well, plate-to-plate, day-to-day.
Furthermore, the MultiTox-Fluor assay has been designed to be used with other Promega cell-based assays, including apoptosis and reporter gene assays, so additional information can be gleaned from every individual sample.
The viable and dead cell protease activities of the MultiTox-Fluor assay correlate well with established viability and cytotoxicity markers and have sufficient sensitivity to be used in high throughput applications.
