CYTOTOXICITY OF METALS TOWARD RAINBOW-TROUT R1 CELL-LINE

Cultured fish cells are of potential use in the initial screening of t he adverse effects of aquatic pollutants. In the present study, R1 cel ls, a fibroblast-like cell line derived from liver tissue of rainbow t rout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), were exposed to 13 metal salts. Cytotoxici ty was assessed by the neutral red uptake inhibition test. The rank or der of cytotoxicity for the cationic metals was silver > mercury > cad mium > zinc > copper > nickel > lead; for the anionic metal complexes it was arsenite > dichromate > chromate > arsenate > selenite > perman ganate > selenate. Metal cytotoxicity toward R1 cells showed close cor relation with the cytotoxicity values of metals toward the BF-2 cell l ine from bluegill sunfish (r = 0.98). For the divalent cations, cytoto xicity correlated well with the physicochemical softness parameter sig ma(p) (r = 0.93). Correlation coefficients between the in vitro toxici ty of cationic metals and their in vitro LC50 data varied for differen t fish species, with r values from r = 0.64 to r = 0.92. The in vitro cytotoxicity of anionic metal complexes was not related with their act e in vivo toxicity. (C) 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.