Effect of 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene on the growth of hamster dermal fibroblasts in primary culture.

Newborn Syrian hamster dermal fibroblasts in primary culture have high plating efficiency, manifest as homogeneous contact-sensitive monolayer in mass cultures and above all possesses a short life-span of 15-20 days in culture. These cells are quite sensitive to mutagenic carcinogens. The DMBA treatment induced multi-layer and foci formation and growth in soft-agar suggesting that immortal variants can be obtained by treatment with carcinogens.