Borax Cytotoxicity Evaluation in Liver Cells

borax (HT1002, Sigma‐Aldrich) was solubilized in either 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; 20688, Thermo Scientific) or complete cell culture medium at 25°C. Subsequently, the stock solution (0.4 M) was further diluted to attain the necessary concentrations for various assays. On the day of the experiment, the stock solution was filtered and prepared fresh. Before treatment, HL7702 and HepG2 cells were seeded in 96‐well plates and incubated in culture medium for 24 h until approximately 80% confluency. Subsequently, the cells were treated with borax concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 64 mM for up to 72 h. Following, measurements were made at 570 nm using the cell viability analysis kit (TOX1‐1KT; Sigma‐Aldrich) based on 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) analysis, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The untreated control group's cell viability was designated as 100%, and the viability of cells subjected to borax treatment was computed relative to this control group. The cell viability curve was constructed using the calculated percentage values of cell viability for each concentration of borax, and the concentrations corresponding to 25% (IC25) and 50% (IC50) inhibition were ascertained from this curve.