Cytotoxicity of surfactants to the FHM-sp cell line

Cytotoxicity of eight surfactants was determined by the neutral red assay with the fathead minnow (FHM)-sp cell line, a cell line in suspension culture from fish. The toxicity ranking of the surfactants was benzalkonium chloride > benzethonium chloride > sodium linear - dodecylbenzene–sulfonate (LAS) > potassium laurate > sodium dodecylsulfate > polyoxyethylene(20)sorbitan monolaurate > polyoxyethylene(20)sorbitan monooleate > betaine. The toxicity ranking of the surfactants classified into four groups based on the ion of the hydrophilic group was cationic surfactants > anionic surfactants > non-ionic surfactants > amphipathic surfactants. The FHM-sp cells, as well as the chinook salmon embryo (CHSE)-sp cells, could be inoculated directly to the microplate wells without dispersion by trypsin treatment of cell sheets at room temperature. Therefore, the cytotoxicity assay of the surfactants could be carried out quickly by using the FHM-sp cell line. The FHM-sp cell line had similar or higher sensitivity to sodium dodecylsulfate compared with several cell lines from mammals. The cytotoxicity assay could be shortened by the procedure exposing the surfactants to the FHM-sp cells before the cell monolayer formation in the microplate wells. To use the FHM-sp cell line as a screening tool prior to in vivo testing, studies on the correlation between in vivo data and in vitro data on the toxicity of surfactants are necessary.