Evaluation of cadmium chloride cytotoxicity in Chinese hamster fibroblasts cultured in vitro.

Cytotoxicity of cadmium chloride was studied in fibroblast cell line V 79 (lung cells). Short-term (30 min) exposure of cells to cadmium chloride as well as 16-h exposure and long-term (continuous) treatment in the presence and absence of S9 fraction were evaluated. Cell growth inhibition, measured as cell numbers in Petri dishes, was used as the endpoint of cytotoxicity and was given a graphic description of growth curves. Growth activity of cells was statistically analysed by multifactor analysis of variance. Statistically significant differences were found at choice concentrations (5 microM-50 microM cadmium chloride) for cell numbers by multiple range analysis between times of cell counting in the short-term exposure trials, and in the continuous exposure trials between concentrations, times of counting cells, and absence and presence of S9 fraction.