Trypan blue vs MTT: which cell viability assay should I use?
Published Sep 18, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026Last verified Sep 18, 2026Requests recorded in this site’s own server logs, with the crawler identity checked by reverse DNS or IP range.Google14First collected Sep 18, 2026Recent requestsGoogleSep 21, 2026GoogleSep 21, 2026GoogleSep 21, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026
Quick answer
Trypan blue classifies individual cells by membrane integrity and gives a viable count and percentage. That suits cell suspensions and product release. MTT and other tetrazolium assays measure average metabolic activity per well over 1–4 hours. That suits plate-based proliferation or cytotoxicity screening [1]. Trypan blue can overestimate viability compared with AO/PI and struggles with debris [2]. Metabolic assays can be skewed by reducing or fluorescent compounds [1].
68 words9 sources
Answer
ATP luminescence is the most sensitive plate format in the NCBI Assay Guidance Manual, detecting fewer than 10 cells per well [1].
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