Creative Biolabs is an internationally operating testing laboratory that provides a series of toxicology test services for cosmetic products. Our comprehensive safety testing capabilities meet the international regulatory requirements for cosmetic products. Now we provide multiple methods for cytotoxicity testing.

The Introduction of Cytotoxicity Test

Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Cells exposed to cytotoxic compounds may react in multiple ways and even die The hallmark of cell death is the loss of integrity of the plasma membrane. In this case, cytotoxicity assays allow cell death detection using markers that are accessible after cosmetic compounds cause plasma membrane damage. Cytotoxicity analysis is widely used in basic research, drug discovery, as well as cosmetic products test. As the first test to provide reliable insight into the safety of cosmetics, there are different viability tests to determine toxic effects on the cellular level.

• BALB/c 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake (NRU, NRR)

The neutral red release (NRU, NRR) assay is a cytotoxicity test to measure the immediate toxic effects of test substances on the cell membrane. In general, the healthy BALB/c 3T3 cells will continue to divide and multiply over time when maintained in culture. The theoretical basis of this method is that a cytotoxic chemical will interfere with this process and result in a reduction of the growth rate as reflected by cell number. In this case, the degree of growth inhibition relative to the concentration of the test compound provides an indication of toxicity.

• MTT Assay

The MTT assay is an efficient method to measure cellular metabolic activity as an indicator for cell viability, proliferation, and cytotoxicity. The theoretical basis of this method is that the living cells contain NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductase enzymes which can reduce the MTT to formazan. Next, use a solubilizing solution to dissolve the insoluble formazan crystals, and measure the absorbance at 500-600 nm with a porous spectrophotometer to quantify the resulting colored solution. The darker the solution, the greater the number of living, metabolically active cells.

• Microscopical Live Dead Test

Intracellular esterase activity and complete plasma membrane are the distinguishing characteristics of living cells. This test uses green fluorescent calcein-AM staining to show the intracellular esterase activity, and red fluorescent ethidium homodimer-1 staining to show the loss of plasma membrane integrity, so that quickly distinguish between live and dead cells. This test can be used in a variety of fluorescence detection methods, such as flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and fluorescence microplate readers.

Advantages of our Cytotoxicity Testing

• No uses animals to avoid ethical and legal issues.
• Extensive experience and advanced biotechnologies.
• Competitive price with the best quality.
• Fully customizable experimental design to expand beyond standard procedure.

Equipped with world-leading technology platforms and professional scientific staff, we are pleased to offer the most qualified services and products for our customers all over the world. If you are interested in our products or services, please do not hesitate to contact us for more detailed information.

• Skin Irritation/Corrosion Test
• Eye Irritation/Corrosion Test
• Skin Sensitization Test
• Genetic Toxicity Test
• Phototoxicity Test
• Skin Penetration Test
• Endocrine Disruptor Activity Test
• Reproductive Toxicity Test
• Carcinogenicity Test