The study of cytotoxic effect of benfluron.

The efficiency of benfluron (B-F) was measured by determining the inhibition of cell proliferation in HeLa and V/79 cells. B-F induced an acute cytotoxic reaction in dependency on the concentration applied. A biphasic unbalanced growth was an integral part of this reaction. In connection with the decrease in cell proliferation which followed B-F treatment at micromolar concentrations, the protein:cell volume ratios increased while at nanomolar concentrations decreased. These variations must be taken into account when expressing and interpreting the results of cell metabolism. The glucose and amino acid metabolism of treated V/79 cells differed markedly when expressed as a function of cell number or as function of protein content per cell.