COMPARISON OF METHODS TO TEST AN IN-VITRO TEST OF CYTOTOXICITY OF BIOCOMPATIBLE HOSPITAL MATERIALS

Objective A comparison of the sensitivity of the agar diffusion method with that of extraction using cell-lines RC-IAL (fibroblastic of rabb it kidney) and HeLa (epithelial carcionoma cells from the cerviw uteri of the human uterus), in the in vitro evaluation of materials of medi cal and hospital. Material and Methods Fifteen samples chosen at rando m, from among the already known positives and negatives in our stock, were tested and identified as cotton, form, latex, cellulose and acryl ic. Besides the samples mentioned many SDS (GIbco) concentrations were tested experimentally in RC-IAL and HeLa cell cultures. Results Of th e 50 samples tested, 44 (88%) were positive by both methods. However w hen the SDS were compared by using the two methods, positive results w ere noted in the concentrations of from 0.5 to 0.05 mu g/ml in the aga r diffusion ans extraction methods. A cytotoxic effect was only noted in the concentrations of up to 0.25 mu g/ml. Conclusion When the SDS w as used, differences favorable to the agar diffusion method were obser ved in the two cell lines, in two concentrations; that is, the sensiti vity of this method was quantitatively greater on inspection than that of the extraction method, as well as being the simpler method to use.