OBSERVATIONS ON SOME EFFECTS OF THE SODIUM SALTS OF CERTAIN MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS ON ESTABLISHED CELL LINES

Abstract

There appears to be very little information in the literature pertaining to concentrations of various air pollutants or tobacco-smoke constituents that may be toxic or nontoxic to tissue cells cultivated in vitro. We have undertaken the task of ascertaining these levels and this report records observations concerning the first few of many known pollutants.The effects of the sodium salts of 10 monocarboxylic acids (formate, acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, caproate, oenanthylate, caprylate, caprate, and benzoate) on several established cell lines (HeLa, strain L, human lung, human skin) were studied.All of these compounds at a concentration of 10 mg% were toxic to the cell lines tested with the exceptions of formate, acetate, and benzoate on strain L, and of valerate and caprylate on human lung.All the compounds either stimulated proliferation or had no significant effect at 1 mg% except caproate and benzoate, which were toxic to human lung and human skin cells, respectively.