[Comparative study of the cytotoxicity induced by chrysotile asbestos, rock wool and substitute fibers in vitro].

Objective To study the cytotoxicity induced by chrysotile asbestos (CA), rock wool (RW)and wollastonite (WS). Methods V79 cells were divided into 4 groups. i.e. CA group, WS group, RW group and control group (200 μ1 PBS). The exposure concentration of dusts was 100 mg/L, The cell viability was detected by MTT and lactate dehydrogenate (LDH) activity assays. The technique of scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the change of V79 cells. Results SiO2 was main constituent for 3 kinds of dusts. In MTT assay, the cell viability of RW and WS groups was 64.8% and 65.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than that (54.5%) of CA group (P＜0.01). In LDH assay, the LDH activity of RW and WS groups [(15.7±50.9),( 12.3±3.7)U/L, respectively] was significantly lower than that[( 20.2±0.9) U/L]of CA group (P＜0.05). In scanning electron microscopy examination, it was found that the two ends of V79 cells in CA group contained a great deal of fibers remaining bodies, but the V79 cell appearance in RW and WS groups was normal. Conclusion The cytotoxicity induced by RW and WS is significantly lower than that induced by CA for V79 cell. Key words: Asbestos;  Cytotoxicity tests;  Lactate dehydrogenase