INVITRO EVALUATION OF CELL BIOMATERIAL INTERACTION BY MTT ASSAY

The tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (MTT test) measures only in v itro living cells and the results are directly related to the number o f viable cultured cells. It has been adopted in immunological investig ations, cancer research and, recently, biocompatibility evaluation. We used the MTT method with minor modifications to fit it to an in vitro study of biomaterial-cell interactions. The MTT assay was confirmed t o be feasible, rapid and reproducible. Moreover, it showed a good corr elation with other in vitro proliferation assays, such as the H-3-thym idine uptake assay. By using the MTT method and the ASTM procedure for extracting biomaterials, we quantified the in vitro cell compatibilit y of different metals and polymers.