Abstract
Purpose : To evaluate the usefulness of a MTT assay by measuring the radiosensitizing effect of caffeine on rat yolk sac tumor cell line with a mutant-type p53 in vitro.
Methods and Materials : A rat yolk sac tumor cell line with a mutant-type p53, NMT-1R, was used in this study. The radiosensitivity of NMT-1R with or without caffeine was measured with a MTT assay. The results were compared with those by a clonogenic assay.
Results : Caffeine at a concentration of 2.0 mM which released radiation-induced G2 block demonstrated a radiosensitizing effect, but caffeine at a concentration of 0.5 mM did not. The radiosensitizing effect of caffeine measured by a MTT assay correlated with that measured by a clonogenic assay.
Conclusions : A MTT assay was useful to measure radiosensitivity and/or a radiosensitizing effect in vitro.
