6.2.5 Crystal violet (CV) assay
The crystal violet assay is described as the separation of adhering
cells during apoptosis and can be used to analyse changes in
proliferation rate in response to cytotoxic drugs as well as to
indirectly detect cell death. In this experiment, crystal violet dye is
used to colour the joined cells by binding to their proteins and DNA.
Cell death occurs when cells stop adhering and are removed from the
population, which reduces crystal violet staining in a culture. The
crystal violet test can be used to quickly and simply determine how
chemotherapeutics and other chemicals affect cell survival and growth
inhibition(Feoktistova et al., 2016).
This staining is a simple and adaptable approach for determining cell
viability in response to a variety of stimuli(Geserick et al., 2009).
Proliferative responses that occur concurrently with cell death
responses, on the other hand, may compromise it. Chemical caspase
inhibitors and/or necroptosis inhibitors could be used in the
experiment. Alternatively, to understand more about the reasons of cell
death, molecular investigations (e.g., overexpression or knockdown) can
be used(Feoktistova et al., 2011).
It’s concerning that the crystal violet assay doesn’t respond well to
changes in cellular metabolic activity. So, studies involving compounds
that change cell metabolism shouldn’t use this test. Utilizing the
crystal violet assay, researchers can examine how chemotherapy and other
drugs affect cell growth and survival (Feoktistova et al., 2011).