Modified method for evaluation of plasma membrane integrity in eukaryotic cell

We propose a method for evaluation of the number of viable cells by the content of bromcresol purple dye absorbed by dead cells from the incubation medium. Myramistin was used as a pore-forming agent. The number of live cells in yeast suspension inversely correlated with the percentage of dye absorbed by cells. The method is simple and requires no special equipment. The effect of myramistin on Candida albicans and Malassezia sympodialis cells and on epitheliocytes was evaluated. Two-hour treatment with myramistin in a concentration commonly used in clinical practice (100 mug/ml) decreased the number of viable cells by 2 and 1 order of magnitude, respectively. Epitheliocytes under the same conditions absorbed approximately the same mount of the dye as Candida cells.