The trypan blue cellular debris assay: a novel low-cost method for the rapid quantification of cell death

Abstract

Cell death is a common driver of human disease and is frequently studied in a variety of in vitro settings. There currently exists a range of commercially available assays to examine cell death, however, most are costly and require assay-specific experimental conditions that may not be suitable for many cell types. Here, we show that cellular debris occurring as a result of cell death can be used to quantify cell death using trypan blue. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the data generated using this technique are comparable to the widely-used lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. Overall, we describe a novel application for trypan blue, a stain found in most biology laboratories, as a novel and cost-effective method for the quantification of cell death via staining of cell debris. Method name: Trypan blue cellular debris assay, Keywords: Cell death, Assay, Trypan blue, LDH assay, Cytotoxicity, Dye, Cell viability, 96-well plate, Apoptosis