An Automated Differential Nuclear Staining Assay for Accurate Determination of Mitocan Cytotoxicity

The protocol describes a rapid, high-throughput, reliable, inexpensive, and unbiased assay for efficiently determining cellular viability. This assay is particularly useful when cells' mitochondria have been damaged, which interferes with other assays. The assay uses automated counting of cells stained with two nuclear dyes – Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide.