Applications of the MTT assay to functional studies of mouse intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes.

The MTT [3(4,5-dimethyl-thiazoyl-2-yl)2,5 diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide] and other related colorimetric assays were compared, and applied to functional studies of mouse intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes and their hybridomas. Functional studies of intestinal lymphocytes included cell adhesion, cytotoxicity, growth inhibition, and proliferation. Our data demonstrate that MTT and related assays are time, labor, and cost saving alternatives to standard radiolabeling assays. The novel application of the MTT method to measure cell-to-cell adhesion and cell-mediated cytotoxicity greatly speed and simplify the determination. The new application of the MTT methods provides a reliable, reproducible, and rapid alternative for the study of intestinal immune cell functions.