Table 3.
Examples of assays that can be used to screen for natural products or extracts for anti-neuroinflammatory activity.
| Assay | Sample Type | Target | Limitations | Size/High-Throughput | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTT assay | Cells | Mitochondrial dehydrogenase dysfunction | Cells only, cannot be performed on tissue. | 96-well plate. | [133] |
| ELISA-based cytokine expression assay | Cells, tissues | Detection of cytokine expression | Coefficient of variation of 15% | 96-well plate. | [135] |
| Greiss Test | Cells, tissues | NO production | Limited by NO concentration > 5 μM | 96-well plate. | [15] |
| HCCP assay | Cells, tissues | Mitochondrial MAO-A | Background fluorescence interference | 96-well plate. | [136] |
| ASC speck detection assay | Cells | NLRP3-dependant ASC speck formation | Cytotoxicity in long treatments | 384-well plate. | [137] |
| HATCO assay | Brain lysate containing Aβ peptide | Aβ-binding molecules | DMSO solvent up to 5% of the assay’s volume | 384-well plate. | [138] |