Studies on the effect of DMSO as a solvent mediator on cell growth and viability

Objective To investigate the effect of dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) at different concentrations on PC12 cells growth,morphology,viability and provide a reference for using DMSO as a solvent mediator.Methods Different DMSO concentrations were dilluted in culture medium and incubated with cells for 24 h,cell morphology was observed under microscopy,cell viability and cellular apoptosis were tested by a colorimetric assay with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide(MTT) and flow cytometry respectively.Results When the DMSO concentration was lower than 2%,PC12 cells were able to grow normally and keep intactly morphous,the cell viability was comparable to control group,no apoptosis was detectable,but at concentrations above 4%,cells became abnormal,cell viability decreased significantly(P0.01),cellular apoptosis was increased gradually.Conclusions The effect of DMSO on PC12 cell growth is linear and dose dependant.In the range of 0.01%～2%,DMSO can be used as a solvent mediator in drug treatment.