On-Chip Cytotoxicity Testing of Nepali Chiya Extract

Abstract

Here, we report a threshold limit value (TLV) of on-chip cytotoxicity of Nepali Chiya, the Nepali traditional black tea. To demonstrate our proof-of-concept validation, we used the active sealing chip with serial dilution that can directly perform on-chip cytotoxicity testing onto the cells cultured in a petri dish. In our experiments, the TLV for mortality on HeLa cells was observed as 400 μg/ml for Nepali Chiya extract. We believe this approach would be a rapid and simple method for on-chip TLV screening of potability of tea extract at the laboratory level, and furthermore as a new potential drug supplement in pharmaceutical industries.