Fathead minnow FHM cells for use in in vitro cytotoxicity assays of aquatic pollutants.

The suitability of the fathead minnow (FHM) epithelial cell line for use as the target (indicator) system in in vitro cytotoxicity assays was evaluated using several endpoints. The organometal diethyltin dichloride served as the representative test agent. The concentration of diethyltin dichloride which resulted in a midpoint toxicity was 3.5 microM in a 3-day cell growth assay, 3.8 microM in the 24-hr neutral red assay, and 16.5 microM in a 4-hr cell detachment assay. The neutral red assay was used to compare the relative sensitivities of the FHM cells (exposed at 34 degrees C) with those of bluegill sunfish (BF-2) cells, a fibroblastic cell culture (exposed at 26 degrees C), in the presence of different classes of test agents frequently occurring as aquatic pollutants. For both fish species the sequence of potencies of the test agents was in the order of organometals greater than pesticides approximately equal to polychlorinated biphenyls greater than polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons greater than phenolics. Overall, the FHM cells were more sensitive than were the BF-2 cells. However, there was a better correlation between the in vitro cytotoxicity data for the BF-2 cell culture and LC50 data for bluegill sunfish than between similar data for the FHM cell line and fathead minnows.