Journal of Dental Research, Vol 70, 127-130, Copyright © 1991 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Application of the MTT colorimetric assay to measure cytotoxic effects of phenolic compounds on established rat dental pulp cells
S. Kasugai, N. Hasegawa and H. Ogura
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
The cytotoxicities of various phenolic compounds were examined using the
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT)
colorimetric assay and established rat dental pulp cells (RPC-C2A). The
ID50 (50% inhibition concentration) of the phenolic compounds ranged from
0.1 to 10 mmol/L, and the cytotoxicities of the phenolic compounds were
related to their phenolic coefficients. The therapeutic index of each
phenolic compound was calculated from the ID50 results and from the 50%
inhibition concentration for prostaglandin synthesis that has been reported
previously. Eugenol, guaiacol, and creosol had therapeutic indices much
higher than those of other phenolic compounds examined. This experimental
system could be used as a simple preliminary assay to test for toxicity of
dental drugs and materials.
