Screening for cytotoxicity in neuroblastoma cells. I. Dependence of growth inhibition on the presence of serum.

The growth-inhibitory effects of a variety of potentially toxic compounds on neuroblastoma cells in defined, serum-free medium were compared with those in serum-containing medium. For 13 of 21 compounds tested, concentrations between 2 and 10(5) times higher were required for 50% inhibition of growth in serum-containing medium. The ranking of substances for their potency in inhibiting growth was thereby different in the two different culture conditions. The presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the medium had similar effects as serum on the dose-response curves.