Cytotoxicity of sanguinarine chloride to cultured human cells from oral tissue.

The in vitro cytotoxicity of sanguinarine chloride, a dental product used in the treatment of gingivitis and plaque, was compared using cell lines and primary cells from oral human tissues. For the established cell lines, sanguinarine chloride exhibited similar potencies to S-G gingival epithelial cells and to KB carcinoma cells, whereas HGF-1 gingival fibroblasts were more tolerant. However, a gingival primary cell culture was more sensitive to sanguinarine chloride than were the established cell lines. Detailed studies were performed with the S-G cells. The 24-hr midpoint (NR50) cytotoxicity value towards the S-G cells was 7.6 microM, based on the neutral red cytotoxicity assay; vacuolization and multinucleation were noted. When exposed to sanguinarine chloride for 3 days, a lag in growth kinetics was first observed at 1.7 microM. Damage to the integrity of the plasma membrane was evident, as leakage of lactic acid dehydrogenase occurred during a 3 hr exposure to sanguinarine chloride at 0.1275 mM and greater. The cytotoxicity of sanguinarine chloride to the S-G cells was lessened in the presence of an S9 hepatic microsomal fraction from Aroclor-induced rats or by including fetal bovine serum (15%) in the exposure medium. Progressively increasing the pH from 6.0 to 7.8 enhanced the potency of sanguinarine chloride, presumably due to the enhanced uptake of the lipophilic alkanolamine form, as compared to that of the cationic iminium form.

Benzoyl peroxide cytotoxicity evaluated in vitro with the human keratinocyte cell line, RHEK-1.

The human keratinocyte cell line, RHEK-1, was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of benzoyl peroxide (BZP). As determined with the neutral red (NR) cytotoxicity assay, the 24-h midpoint (NR50) toxicity values, in mM, were 0.11 for BZP and 29.5 for benzoic acid, the stable metabolite of BZP. Irreversible cytotoxicity occurred after a 1-h exposure to 0.15 mM BZP and greater. When exposed to BZP for 7 days, a lag in growth kinetics was first observed at 0.06 mM BZP. Damage to the integrity of the plasma membrane was evident, as leakage of lactic acid dehydrogenase occurred during a 4-h exposure to BZP at 0.05 mM and greater. Intracellular membranes were also affected, as extensive vacuolization, initially perinuclear but then spreading throughout the cytoplasm, was noted in BZP-stressed cells. The generation of reactive free radicals from BZP was suggested by the following: the intracellular content of glutathione was lowered in cells exposed to BZP; cells pretreated with the glutathione-depleting agent, chlorodinitrobenzene, were hypersensitive to a subsequent challenge with BZP; lipid peroxidation by BZP was inducible in the presence of Fe2+; and cells previously maintained in a medium amended with vitamin E, an antioxidant, were more resistant to BZP, showed less lipid peroxidation in the presence of BZP+Fe2+ and did not develop the extensive intracellular vacuolization as compared to non-vitamin E maintained cells.

Naphthoquinone cytotoxicity to bluegill sunfish BF-2 cells.

Bluegill sunfish BF-2 fibroblasts were used to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicities of 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-NQ, and 2,3-dichloro-1, 4-NQ (dichlone); comparisons were made with previously obtained data on the response of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. For both cell types, the sequence of potency was 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-NQ > 1,4-NQ > dichlone. Dichlone, and, although to a lesser extent, 1,4-NQ and 5,8-dihydroxy-1-4-NQ, induced endoreduplication in the BF-2 cells; for the HepG2 cells, endoreduplication was induced only with dichlone. Exposures to the three NQs reduced intracellular glutathione levels in both cell types. For the BF-2 and HepG2 cells, pretreatments with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a glutathione-depleting agent, potentiated the cytotoxicity of 5,8-hydroxy-1,4-NQ and dichlone; pretreatment with dicoumarol, an inhibitor of DT-diaphorase, had no effect on toxicity of these two NQs. Apparently, for these two quinones the predominant metabolic pathway in both the BF-2 and HepG2 cells involved redox cycling via a one-electron reduction reaction, generating reactive oxygen intermediates that consumed intracellular glutathione. Pretreatment of the BF-2 cells with BSO, but not with dicoumarol, potentiated the toxicity of 1,4-NQ, again indicating that metabolism occurred via one electron reduction. However, for the HepG2 cells, pretreatment with dicoumarol, but not with BSO, potentiated the cytotoxicity of 1,4-NQ. Apparently, in the HepG2, as compared to the BF-2, cells, 1,4-NQ was metabolized by DT-diaphorase in a reaction involving a two electron reduction.

Comparative cytotoxicities of selected minor dietary non-nutrients with chemopreventive properties.

The comparative acute cytotoxicities were determined for a varied spectrum of minor dietary non-nutrients that have been implicated as chemopreventive agents. Cytotoxicity was determined with the neutral red (NR) assay, using BALB/c mouse 3T3 fibroblasts as the bioindicators. Based on midpoint cytotoxicity (NR50) values, the range of cytotoxicity for the different chemicals varied by 1000 times. The sequence of potency was tannic acid, tamoxifen citrate, quercetin, benzyl and phenethyl isothiocyanate > glycyrrhetinic acid > indole-3-carbinol > caffeic acid > phytic acid > vanillin > ellagic acid > D-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone. Vanillin, at slight to moderately toxic concentrations, was the only test agent that induced multinucleation in the 3T3 fibroblasts.

Eugenol cytotoxicity evaluated with continuous cell lines.

The cytotoxicity of eugenol to replicating cells, as mediated by the intracellular level of glutathione and by metabolic activation, was evaluated with the neutral red (NR) assay. The cytotoxicity of eugenol to human HFF fibroblasts and human HepG2 hepatoma cells was increased somewhat in the presence of a hepatic S-9 microsomal fraction from Aroclor-induced rats or hamsters. Exposure of human HepG2 hepatoma cells to eugenol depleted the level of intracellular glutathione. Cells treated with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) or buthionine sulphoximine (BSO), agents that deplete intracellular glutathione, were hypersensitive to eugenol. A 1-hr pretreatment with CDNB enhanced the cytotoxicity of eugenol, as did a 24-hr pretreatment with BSO. Intracellular glutathione levels were, apparently, significant in mediating the toxicity of eugenol.

Cytotoxic and morphological effects of phenylpropanolamine, caffeine, nicotine, and some of their metabolites studied In vitro.

The neutral red cytotoxicity assay was used in vitro to evaluate the potencies of phenylpropanolamine (PPA), nicotine, caffeine, some of their metabolites, and related chemicals. The human cell types used as targets included fibroblast (HFF), melanoma (SK-Mel/27), and hepatoma (HepG2) cell lines and early passage endothelial (ENDO) cells and keratinocytes (NHEK). For all of these cells, nicotine was more cytotoxic than cotinine, its major metabolite; in turn, cotinine was more cytotoxic than chemically related compounds such as nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. Nicotine, but neither cotinine, nicotinic acid, nor nicotinamide, induced cytoplasmic vacuolization in all the cell types tested. Except for the ENDO cells, caffeine and its metabolite, theophylline, showed approximately equivalent cytotoxic potencies. However, for the ENDO cells, caffeine was more cytotoxic than theophylline. Furthermore, the ENDO cells were 2-3 times more sensitive to caffeine and theophylline than were the other cell types. The HFF, SK-Mel/27, and HepG2 cells were more sensitive than the ENDO and NHEK cells to PPA. Phenylpropanolamine induced cytoplasmic vacuolization only in the ENDO cells. Combinations of caffeine + PPA interacted synergistically in their cytotoxicity towards the HepG2 cells; a similar synergistic interaction was not noted with the ENDO cells.

Cytotoxicity of T-2 toxin and its metabolites determined with the neutral red cell viability assay.

The neutral red (NR) cell viability assay was used with various cell types of human origin to quantitate the potency of T-2 mycotoxin and its metabolites. The human melanoma SK-Mel/27 cell line was the most sensitive, with a midpoint cytotoxicity value of 2.8 ng of T-2 per ml. With the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2, the sequence of potency for a series of mycotoxins was T-2 greater than HT-2 greater than T-2 triol greater than T-2 tetraol.

In vitro cytotoxicity studies with the fish hepatoma cell line, PLHC-1 (Poeciliopsis lucida).

The PLHC-1 fish hepatoma cell line (Poeciliopsis lucida) was used in the neutral red assay to evaluate the acute cytotoxicities of direct-acting (alkylbenzenes, phthalate diesters, and pesticides) and metabolism-mediated (benzo[a]pyrene) toxicants. The sequence of cytotoxic potencies for the alkylbenzenes and phthalate diesters appeared to be a direct function of their hydrophobicity (as described by logarithmic octanol/water partition coefficients). The organochlorine pesticides (alachlor and p,p'-methoxychlor) were more cytotoxic than the organophosphorus pesticides (EPN, diazinon, and malathion). The PLHC-1 cell line apparently maintained sufficient xenobiotic-metabolizing capacity, as the hepatoma cells were able to metabolize benzo[a]pyrene to cytotoxic intermediates. Xenobiotic-metabolizing capacity was temperature dependent, with enzymatic activity increasing as the temperature was increased from 28 to 34 to 37 degrees C, was inducible by Aroclor 1254 (a chemical inducer of cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase activity), and was reduced by EPN (an inhibitor of P450 activity).

In vitro response of the brown bullhead catfish cell line, BB, to aquatic pollutants.

Established cell lines from brown bullhead catfish (BB) and rainbow trout (RTG-2) and primary cultures of cells derived from gill, fin, and gonad tissues from brown bullhead catfish were evaluated for use as bioindicators in the neutral red cytotoxicity assay. The BB and RTG-2 cells were compared after a 1 day exposure to chlorinated pesticides and after a 6-day exposure to various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The BB cells were more sensitive to both classes of chemicals. The sequence of toxicity for the BB cells was 4,4'-DDD. 4,4'-DDT greater than aldrin, 4,4'-DDE and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) greater than 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene (3-OH-B(a)P) greater than benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P). For the RTG-2 cells, the sequence was aldrin greater than 4,4'-DDD greater than 4,4'-DDT greater than 4,4'-DDE and 3-OH-B(a)P greater than DMBA greater than B(a)P. The BB cells were also sensitive to benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)anthracene, and trans-7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene. The responses of BB and RTG-2 cells were compared with those of primary cultures after a 1 day exposure to B(a)P. After 1 day of exposure, the RTG-2 cells and primary cultures were more sensitive than the BB cells to B(a)P. Apparently, after 1 day of incubation the RTG-2 and primary cells metabolized greater amounts of B(a)P to cytotoxic metabolites, than did the BB cells. However, by 6 days of incubation, the BB cells were more sensitive to B(a)P than were the RTG-2 cells. A 6-day exposure to B(a)P was not performed with the primary cell cultures.

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays with cultured fish cells: A review.

Cultured fish cells can be used in a variety of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays for the preliminary testing of environmental chemical hazards that may be hazardous to the aquatic biota. Such assays can also be used to evaluate synergistic and antagonistic interactions between combinations of test agents and to establish structure-activity relationships for series of related chemicals. A range of fish cell lines are available for use in such assays and a variety of endpoints may be used. To detect toxicants that require bioactivation the chosen cell line must have significant P-450 activity, or a metabolizing component must be incorporated into the assay. Fish cells in culture respond to the same chemical mutagens and clastogens that are genotoxic to mammalian cells in culture. However, since fish cells in culture are eurythermic, they represent a unique system for studying temperature as a parameter in mediating the genotoxicity and the cytotoxicity of a test agent.

Rapid chemosensitivity assay with human normal and tumor cells in vitro.

Neutral red assay, as an index of cytotoxicity, has been applied to predictive screening of chemotherapeutic agents. Human hepatoma and melanoma tumor cells and normal melanocytes, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts were incubated for 2, 24, and 48 h with graded concentrations of cis-platinum (0.1 to 80 microM), doxorubicin (0.01 to 100 microM), and 5-fluorouracil (1 to 1000 microM). Cells were most sensitive after 48 h. Tumor cells, based on 50% toxicity values, were 2-4 times more sensitive than the normal cells, except for cis-platinum, where only melanoma cells, as compared to normal melanocytes, showed a marked difference in cytotoxic response. Methotrexate (1 to 10 microM) toxicity could be reversed in the presence of 100 microM of leucovorin. This sensitive, rapid, and economical assay is suitable for preclinical screening and drug development.

Cytotoxic effects of food additives and pharmaceuticals on cells in culture as determined with the neutral red assay.

The acute cytotoxicity of butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole to cultured human dermal fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes, and melanoma tumor cells was determined with the neutral red assay. For all cell types, butylated hydroxytoluene proved to be more cytotoxic than butylated hydroxyanisole. The neutral red assay is a rapid, economical, semiautomated assay that can be used with a variety of cell types in culture to provide quantitated data that can be used to rank test agents according to their potencies.

In vitro cyto- and genotoxicity of organomercurials to cells in culture.

The sequence of cytotoxic effects for a series of mercury compounds to the BG/F epithelioid cells derived from fin tissue of bluegill sunfish was phenyl mercuric chloride greater than methyl mercuric chloride greater than ethyl mercuric chloride much greater than mercuric chloride. This sequence of in vitro cytotoxicity was similar to that observed in a 48-h LC50 in vivo acute toxicity assay with rainbow trout. Using induction of micronuclei as an indicator of genetic damage, the organomercurials, but not mercuric chloride, were noted to be clastogenic to the BG/F cells.

Effect of methylazoxymethanol acetate on bluegill sunfish cell cultures in vitro.

An epithelioid cell line derived from fin tissue of bluegill sunfish (designated BG/F) exhibited early indications of cell transformation upon exposure to methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM acetate). Such changes included the induction of polyploidy, increased colony-forming efficiency, loss of contact inhibition, and formation of transformed foci. Unlike later transformation characteristics observed with mammalian cells, the MAM acetate-treated BG/F cells could not be propagated under conditions of anchorage independence in soft agar. Incubation of BG/F cells with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, followed by exposure to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, was not observed to cause cell transformation under the experimental conditions. The controls of a fibroblastic cell culture derived from gill tissue of bluegill sunfish showed spontaneous transformation after 6 months of passage, similar to the transformation observed in the experimental MAM acetate treated gill cultures.

Arsenic-selenium interactions determined with cultured fish cells.

A fibroblastic cell line derived from gill tissue (designated BG/G) and an epithelioid cell line derived from fin tissue (designed BG/F) of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) were used as the bioindicators in toxicity experiments. The neutral red in vitro cytotoxicity assay served as the endpoint. In both cell lines the sequence of observed cytotoxicity was arsenite greater than arsenate greater than selenite greater than selenate, with each cell type exhibiting comparable ranking of midpoint toxicity (NR50) concentrations. Antagonistic interactions were noted between combinations of arsenics and seleniums. Thus, selenate and selenite (at nontoxic levels) reduced, but did not eliminate, the acute cytotoxicities of arsenate and, to a lesser extent, of arsenite.

Cytoarchitectural analysis of epithelial sheets formed in vitro by hepatic tumor cells possessing defined intermediate-sized filament cytoskeletal abnormalities.

Established 72/22 rat hepatic tumor cells, which bear well-characterized cytoplasmic abnormalities of intermediate filament (IF) network organization, form monolayer "sheets" of tightly juxtaposed epithelial cells at high culture population densities. The distribution of desmosomal complexes and their affiliated tonofilaments, as well as the regulation of cytokeratin/vimentin IF and actin microfilament contents were assessed during construction of this in vitro "epithelium." 72/22 cells formed desmosomal junctions throughout the length of the cellular perimeter. Compared with low population density cultures, fully confluent sheets of 72/22 cells exhibited a down-regulated cytoskeletal actin content and increased level of cytokeratin synthesis. Despite gross IF cytoarchitectural abnormalities, 72/22 cells normally modulated the content of specific structural elements within both the IF and microfilament networks in response to increasing cell-cell contact. Furthermore, these data support the concept that neither the structural integrity nor the topographic distribution of the desmosome array are dependent on tonofilament anchorage or IF scaffold organization.

Acute cytotoxicities of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons determined in vitro with the human liver tumor cell line, HepG2.

The neutral red in vitro cytotoxicity assay was adapted for use with the human hepatocellular tumor cell line HepG2 to detect the cytotoxic potencies of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Using benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) as the representative PAH, it was determined that a 3-day exposure was the most suitable for detecting cytotoxic potency and that preexposure to 5 micrograms/ml Arochlor enhanced the sensitivity of the HepG2 cells to the toxicant. Such enhanced sensitivity probably reflected increased metabolic conversion of the B[a]P to active metabolites after culturing the cells in the presence of Arochlor. This was shown by a 3-fold increase in the activity of 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase, an indicator of mixed-function oxygenase activity. Furthermore, a reduction in sensitivity to B[a]P occurred when the cells were cultured in the presence of alpha-napthoflavone, an inhibitor of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity. When Arochlor-induced cells were transferred to medium lacking Arochlor, the level of 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase quickly declined to basal levels. Arochlor-induced cells were also able to detect the cytotoxic potencies of benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[b]-fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo[a]anthracene pyrene, phenanthrene, and fluoranthene, whereas fluorene, anthracene, acenaphthene, and acenaphthylene were not cytotoxic.

Structure-activity relationships for diorganotins, chlorinated benzenes, and chlorinated anilines established with bluegill sunfish BF-2 cells.

The bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) BF-2 cell line, propagated at 34 degrees C, served as target for evaluation of the acute toxicities of various classes of aquatic pollutants, using the neutral red cytotoxicity assay. For a series of chlorinated benzenes and anilines, the sequence of cytotoxicity was dependent on the degree of chlorination and on their hydrophobicity, as described by their logarithmic octanol/water partition coefficients (log P values). With increasing numbers of chlorine atoms in the ring structure or with increasing log P values, greater cytotoxicity was observed. For a series of diorganotins, the sequence of cytotoxicity was dependent on the length of the carbon chain and upon their hydrophobicity, as described by Hansch pi parameters. Thus, increasing the chain length or increasing the Hansch pi parameter resulted in greater cytotoxicity. Similar structure-activity relationships for these classes of test agents have been previously established using acute toxicity LC50 assays with aquatic species. The ability of the neutral red in vitro cytotoxicity assay, with cultured fish cells as the bioindicators, to mimic the acute toxicity data obtained from the LC50 assays suggests its utility as a tool for preliminary screening (tier I testing) of aquatic pollutants.

Comparisons of two in vitro cytotoxicity assays-The neutral red (NR) and tetrazolium MTT tests.

The neutral red (NR) and tetrazolium MTT in vitro cytotoxicity assays were compared for 28 test agents of widely varying potency using the BALB/c mouse 3T3 fibroblast cell line as the bioindicator. For any given cell density in the microtitre plate well, the optical density absorbance with the NR assay was about twice that obtained with the MTT assay. However, there was good agreement (r = 0.939) between the ranking of the test agents on the basis of midpoint cytotoxicity values (NR(50) and MTT(50)), although the assays were based on different physiological endpoints. Nevertheless, the two assays were found to differ in sensitivity for a few test agents, such as chloroquine sulphate and several antineoplastic drugs. Both assays were capable of demonstrating a reduction in the cytotoxicity of methotrexate by leucovorin.