Response to mitogens of chicken splenocytes determined by three methods of measurement

The aim of the present study was to examine whether the 3‐4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay can be applied to measurement of mitogen‐induced chicken splenocyte activation. Activation was also measured by a ³H‐thymidine uptake assay and a viable cell count assay. Optimal concentrations of mitogens and incubation periods required for maximal responses to mitogens differed between the MTT assay and the viable cell count and thymidine uptake assays. This probably reflects differences in the activities measured by the MTT assay which detects mitochondrial enzyme activity, and the thymidine uptake and viable cell count assays which detect cellular proliferation activity. The validity of the MTT assay was supported by the observation that the mitogen‐induced increase in succinate dehydrogenase activity paralleled the level of mitogen‐induced MTT formazan production. Mitogen concentrations inducing maximal formazan formation in chicken splenocytes were higher than those for chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes reported previously. Results of the present study indicate that mitogen‐induced chicken splenocyte activation could be measured by the MTT colorimetric assay, although mitogen concentrations and incubation periods required for maximal splenocyte activation differed between the MTT assay and the other two assays used in this study.