title: Inquiry into the limits of biological effects of chemical compounds in tissue culture, I. Low dose effects of mercuric chloride.
abstract: Experiments were desigened to investigate the low-dose side ot the so-called dose-effect relation of mercuric  chloride on the proliferation of a murine lymphoblastic cell strain (MB VIz). Three concentration ranges, from 0.9 X 10(-5) M to 0.9 X 10(-18) M to 0.9 X 10(-25) M, and from 0.9 X 10(-15) M to 0.9 X 10(-21) M, in which the concentration decreased stepwise by a factor 10, were studied in 61, 74 and 58 experimental repetitions, respectively. In the first range, the concentrations 0.9 X 10(-5) M and 0.9 X 10(-6) M HgCl2 proved to be definitely toxic as was expected. However, also 0.9 X 10(-16) M and 0.9 X 10(-17) M appeared to be growth-inhibiting, the latter results being confirmed in the second and the third concentration ranges. These differences in cell growth were statistically significant.
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008628:Mercury / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D008628:Mercury