4.3. MTT Assay for Cell Viability

The MTT cell proliferation assay (TACS^TM MTT, Trevigen^®, Hagerman CT, Gaithersburg) was used for assessing cell viability according to the manufacturer’s instructions. HepG2 cells (1 × 10³) were placed in 96 well microplate 24 h before MTT assay. A 50 µL of serum-free media was added to cells and 10 µL of MTT solution into each well. The plate was incubated at 37 °C for 3 h. After incubation, 100 µL of detergent solution (MTT formazan) was added into each well, and then the plate was covered and incubated overnight at 37 °C. An ELISA plate reader was used to measure the color absorbance at optical density (O.D.) 590 nm, duplicate readings were taken, and then averaged for each sample. The amount of absorbance was proportional to cell number.