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Advantages and Disadvantages of Cell Proliferation Assays
Cell Proliferation Assays
Advantages
Disadvantages
BrdU
  • Direct measurement of DNA synthesis
  • Strong linear correlation with increasing cell numbers
  • Compatible with cell sorters and microscopy
  • Requires fixation and DNA denaturation
  • Cannot quantify cell number
  • Associated health risks
EdU
  • Increased selectivity in comparison to BrdU
  • Simple, fast and reliable
  • High sensitivity
  • Very low toxicity
  • Provides multiplexing possibilities
  • Relatively expensive
  • Limited to cells that can be labeled with EdU
Bucculite™ XdU or FdU
  • No DNA denaturation needed
  • Does not rely on antibodies
  • Preserves cell morphology, antigen-binding sites, and sample integrity
  • No major disadvantage
Tetrazolium Salt
  • Simple and inexpensive
  • Measures metabolic activity of the cells
  • Easy to perform
  • Suitable for high-throughput screening
  • Metabolic behavior tends to be variable under different cell culture conditions
  • Standards must be built, and are not typically provided
  • Requires use of phenol red free media due to potential interference
  • Not suitable for non-adherent cells
Resazurin
  • Low toxicity
  • Inexpensive
  • Highly sensitive
  • Great for long-term studies with various cell types
  • Allows for real-time monitoring
  • Prone to fluorescence interference
  • Data might be affected by cell density and media composition
  • Determining inhibition kinetics and optimizing the procedure remains challenging

References
This online resource may be cited as follows
MLA
"Quest DatabaseAdvantages and Disadvantages of Cell Proliferation Assays." AAT Bioquest, Inc.5 Dec2025https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cell-proliferation-assays.
APA
AAT Bioquest, Inc. (2025December 5). Quest DatabaseAdvantages and Disadvantages of Cell Proliferation Assays. AAT Bioquest. https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cell-proliferation-assays.
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