Application of A Simple and Reliable Cell Proliferation and Viability Assay in Green Tea Extract-and Catechin-Induced Growth Inhibition of Cancer Cells

Abstract

Several colorimetric cell proliferation/viability assays have been widely used in basic research in recent years. Meanwhile, the limitations of these methods in some applications have been reported. We found a significant drawback when these common methods were used to evaluate the effect of green tea extract or catechins on cell proliferation and viability. To overcome this problem, a simple and reliable method was developed for measuring cell proliferation/viability in response to green tea extract or catechins. This method is based on the principle that the color intensity caused by green tea extract or catechins is proportionally correlated to the cell inhibition and cell death. This method is simple, reliable, and economic. By using this method, we demonstrated that the green tea extracts and catechins tested significantly inhibited both suspension leukemia and adherent epithelial cancer cells, which suggest that the green tea extract and its catechins are a potential cancer prevention and chemotherapy agent. It appears that multiple mechanisms are responsible for the green tea extract- and catechin-induced growth inhibition of the cells.