|
(22-46) Assessing the toxicity of surfactants to protozoa, fish and mammalian cells. Dayeh, Vivian*,1, Chow, Stephanie1, Schirmer, Kristin2, Lynn, Denis3, Bols, Niels1, 1 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON2 UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig-Halle, Germany3 University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario ABSTRACT- Synthetic surfactants, such as Triton X-100, are found throughout the environment. Human exposure occurs through their presence in cosmetical, pharmaceutical and dermatological formulations; environmental exposure results from their release through the activities of several industries, including the pulp and paper and textile industries. Whether the relative toxicity and toxic mechanism of surfactants differs in the wide range of organisms potentially exposed to them is largely unknown. In this work, the question was explored at the cellular level with cell lines from humans, such as HepG2 and Caco-2, from rat, H4IIE, and from rainbow trout, such as RTL-W1 and RTgill-W1, and with the free living protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila. Several cellular parameters were investigated as possible convenient endpoints of cytotoxicity and as indicators of potential cytotoxic mechanisms. All parameters were assayed with fluorescent indicator dyes on cells in microwell cultures. Alamar Blue™ was used for metabolic activity, propidium iodide and CFDA-AM for plasma membrane integrity, and neutral red for lysosomal function. Alamar Blue™ was the indicator dye that could be applied most conveniently to all cells and provided the most consistent results. The preliminary results suggest the fish cells were the most sensitive. For cell bioassays of surfactants in environmental samples, Tetrahymena thermophila appear to be the most promising cell. Key words: Surfactants, Cell Viability, Cytotoxicity Assays, Biomonitoring |
