Open AccessFlow cytometric enumeration of colonies for in vitro chemotherapeutic drug evaluation
Author(s) -
Thornthwaite Jerry T.,
Loutzenhiser Kathy,
Hornicek Francis J.,
Donahue Roger,
Allen Larry M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
cytometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1097-0320
pISSN - 0196-4763
DOI - 10.1002/cyto.990100118
Subject(s) - enumeration , flow cytometry , in vitro , drug , flow (mathematics) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pharmacology , mathematics , physics , biochemistry , combinatorics , mechanics
The percentage of 50–100 μ colonies formed by LX‐T cells in medium containing agarose was determined microscopically, and this value was compared with the percentage determined by a flow cytometric method based on the forward and 90° light scatter of the colonies. As assessed by both in vitro methods, LX‐T cells exposed to chemotherapeutic agents formed fewer colonies as the drug concentration increased. However, flow cytometric analysis indicated that a change in the number of colonies formed was a consequence of changing chemotherapeutic drug concentration, whereas microscopic colony counting did not always detect the corresponding change in colony number. These experiments demonstrate that measurement of a drug's chemotherapeutic potential by flow cytometric counting of colonies is an alternative to the enumeration of colonies microscopically.