title: A rapid cell culture technique for assessing the toxicity of detergent-based products in vitro as a possible screen for eye irritancy in vivo.
abstract: It is generally accepted that the Draize rabbit eye irritation test has several disadvantages and inadequacies when used as an indicator for potential irritancy of detergent-based commercial products. In the search for a possible in vitro screen, it was decided to use mouse LS cells in suspension, taking 50% cell death (CD50) after exposure to the product for 4 h as the endpoint. This result for eleven samples was compared with rabbit eye irritation data ranked on an arbitrary classification of mild, moderate and severe. All samples with a CD50 less than 0.5 mg ml-1 were severe eye irritants while, with one exception, all those with a CD50 greater than 1.0 mg ml-1 were mild irritants. Samples between these two cytotoxicity levels were, in general, moderately irritant to the rabbit eye. It would appear that the present in vitro test is a possible screen for the irritancy of detergent-based products.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000187:drug effects; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects; D003902:Detergents / Q000633:toxicity*; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects*; D005347:Fibroblasts; D007498:Iris / Q000187:drug effects; D007509:Irritants; D008722:Methods; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D007509:Irritants; D013501:Surface-Active Agents