Microwave biosensor for the detection of growth inhibition of human liver cancer cells at different concentrations of chemotherapeutic drug.

Cytotoxicity assays are crucial for assessing the efficacy of drugs in killing cancer cells and determining their potential therapeutic value. Measurement of the effect of drug concentration, which is an influence factor on cytotoxicity, is of great importance. This paper proposes a cytotoxicity assay using microwave sensors in an end-point approach based on the detection of the number of live cells for the first time. In contrast to optical methods like fluorescent labeling, this research uses a resonator-type microwave biosensor to evaluate the effects of drug concentrations on cytotoxicity by monitoring electrical parameter changes due to varying cell densities. Initially, the feasibility of treating cells with ultrapure water for cell counting by a microwave biosensor is confirmed. Subsequently, inhibition curves generated by both the CCK-8 method and the new microwave biosensor for various drug concentrations were compared and found to be congruent. This agreement supports the potential of microwave-based methods to quantify cell growth inhibition by drug concentrations.