A new experimental model to study oxygen toxicity.

An experimental model was developed in order to study the protective effect of antioxidant molecules. Human diploid WI-38 fibroblasts were cultivated under 2 atm of 95% O2. Antioxidants like alpha-tocopherol or superoxide dismutase (SOD) were added respectively in the culture medium or directly inside the cell through a microinjection technique. With both antioxidant molecules a protection was observed. In the control experiment, cells died within 6 or 8 days depending on the confluency and the malonaldehyde content increased sharply. This model represents a new tool in order to test other antioxidant systems towards an oxidative stress.