Appraisal of MTT colorimetric assay for determining radiosensitivity of human tumor cell lines in vitro

Objective To appraise MTT colorimetric assay for determining radiosensitivity of human tumor cell lines in vitro. Methods The surviving fraction(SF)and D0 of HepG2, MCF-7 and EC-9706 were measured by MTT assay after exposure various doses (1, 2, 4, 8 Gy) of γ-ray radiation. Results The SF of HepG2 and EC-9706 after irradiated by 2,4 and 8 Gy radiation was significantly lower than that of MCF-7(P0.05 and P0.01),but the SF was not stastically different between HepG2 and EC-9706(P0.05). The D0 of HepG2 was the smallest, MCF-7 was the biggest, and EC-9706 was between HepG2 and MCF-7, which revealed HepG2 had the highest sensitivity to irradiation and MCF-7 had the lowest radiosensitivity. Conclusion MTT assay is a simple and rapid technique for measuring radiosensitivity and can provide reference for individual radiotherapy.