Validation by: Dr. rer. nat. Nadja Engel
Head of Laboratory at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Facial Surgery, University Hospital of Rostock (Universtitätmedizin Rostock).
The researchers investigated whether naturally occurring compounds found in sea buckthorn roots could reduce cancer cell viability, potentially identifying bioactive substances for future anticancer research.
-
MTS Cell Viability Assay: A colorimetric assay used to assess cellular metabolic activity as an indicator of cell viability.
-
Dose-Response Analysis: FaDu head and neck cancer cells were treated with increasing concentrations of sea buckthorn root extract (SBR 8) to evaluate changes in cell viability and determine the LD50.
FaDu cells were cultured in standard 96-well plates and treated with different concentrations of SBR 8 for 24 hours. Following treatment, MTS reagent was added and incubated for 60 minutes.
Absorbance 96 was used to investigate the effects of sea buckthorn root extracts on head and neck cancer cells using an MTS cell viability assay. Absorbance was measured at 492 nm
Figure 3 presents the effects of different concentrations of sea buckthorn root extract (SBR 8) on FaDu head and neck cancer cell viability after 24 hours of treatment, assessed using an MTS assay with Byonoy's Absorbance 96 at 492 nm. Panel A shows the cell viability results across the tested concentrations, while Panel B presents the same data on a logarithmic concentration scale for LD50 determination. A significant reduction in cell viability was observed at higher extract concentrations, with a calculated LD50 of 299.74 µg/mL.
Results: The MTS assay demonstrated a concentration-dependent reduction in FaDu cancer cell viability following treatment with sea buckthorn root extract.
At higher concentrations, the extract significantly reduced cell viability, with an estimated LD50 of 299.74 µg/mL.
These findings demonstrate the suitability of Absorbance 96 for MTS-based cell viability measurements and dose-response analysis, supporting its use in cell-based research and screening of bioactive compounds.
The authors note that the extract concentrations required to achieve these effects are not clinically relevant, and further research is needed to identify the active compounds responsible.
Publication: Gazizova, A., Gronbach, M., Oppermann, C., Kragl, U., & Engel, N. (2025). Anti-tumorigenic effects of sea buckthorn root extracts on head and neck cancer cells—A systematic analysis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(10), 4625.
