Effect of 6-(4-vinylbenzyl-n-propyl)amino-1, 3, 5-triazine-2, 4-dithiol (VTD) on the Colorimetric Assays

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium] bromide (MTT) assay in the toxic evaluation of a compound containing sulfhydryl groups. For this purpose, we performed both MTT and neutral red (NR) assays on 6-(4-vinylbenzyl-n-propyl)amino-1, 3, 5-triazine-2, 4-dithiol (VTD) and compared the results. The results of the MTT assay showed that the cell survival ratio rose higher than the control levels at some VTD concentrations. In addition, it was found that MTT-formazan was formed by VTD in the presence of MTT. These results suggest that VTD might indirectly increase the amount of MTT-formazan by enhacing enzymatic activity in the mitochondrion. The sulfhydryl compound (VTD) did not, however, affect the NR assay. Therefore, the MTT assay should be avoided for cytotoxic examinations of compounds containing sulfhydryl groups.