Method and in vitro test kit for the study of the effects of chronic treatment with substances on cell cultures. In the present invention a method and an in vitro test kit are described, for the study of the effects of chronic treatment with substances of natural or synthetic origin, on cell cultures. The assay of the invention consists of uninterrupted exposure for a time equal to or greater than 72 hours, to the study compounds or to appropriate controls, of relevant cell cultures, grown in an airtight container. The effects of the substances under study are monitored in situ by optical or fluorescence microscopy and quantified, at the end of the study period, by flow cytometry, which allows the determination of the type of cell death and, in living cells, the quantification of cellular metabolites, as well as different cellular functions of relevance.
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