Colorimetric In-Vitro Cytotoxicity Assays: MTS and LDH Workflows for Drug, Device, and Probiotic Testing

Cytotoxicity testing is a routine requirement across drug, medical device, and probiotic product development, and spectrophotometer-based colorimetric assays remain the workhorse approach for their speed and simplicity. This Emery Pharma poster walks through two regulatory-anchored workflows: the MTS assay adapted from ISO 10993-5, which measures viable cells via metabolic activity, and the LDH assay referenced in the 2018 EFSA FEEDAP guideline, which measures cell death via release of intracellular LDH. Both rely on tetrazolium-to-formazan conversion, but answer different questions about cellular response to a test article.

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What You Will Learn

The reaction mechanisms behind MTS and LDH colorimetric readouts, and what each assay actually measures

The ISO 10993-5 MTS workflow for assessing cytotoxicity of leachables from medical devices using L-929 cells

The EFSA FEEDAP LDH workflow for assessing extracellular toxin cytotoxicity from microbial supernatants using Vero cells

How absorbance data at OD₄₉₀ₙₘ is translated into viable-cell percentage (MTS) or LDH-release percentage (LDH)

When to choose a viability assay versus a cell-death assay for your test article

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