Mammalian Cell Culture Assay

NDSU offers a high-throughput mammalian cell culture assay for rapidly evaluating the in vitro ctyotoxicity of antimicrobial coating materials. L929 mouse fibroblasts (ATCC, CCL-1) are seeded directly onto the experimental coatings prepared in multi-well plates and are allowed to attach for 1 hour. After initial attachment, coatings are rinsed with PBS to remove non-adherent cells and replenished with fresh cell culture medium. Fibroblast proliferation on each surface is then determined after 7 days with a tetrazolium salt (MTT/PMS) colorimetric assay. Comparisons of fibroblast proliferation are made between the experimental antimicrobial coatings and non-toxic (silicone elastomer) and toxic controls (Triton X-100) to determine the degree of biocompatibility.