Evaluation of bendiocarb cytotoxicity in mammalian and insect cell cultures

There is an increasing need for rapid and easily interpreted in vitro assays to screen for possible cytotoxicity of pesticides. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the carbamate insecticide bendiocarb on mammalian and insect cell cultures. The cytotoxicity of this insecticide was evaluated by cell proliferation and cellular damage was assessed by evaluation of the cytopathic effect and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage. Cells of insect origin (Sf21) were the most sensitive to bendiocarb with significant (P < 0.01) suppression of their proliferative activity ranging from 10−1–10−5 M. However, significant suppression of proliferative activity was also recorded in rat liver cells (WBF344; 10−1–10−3 M; P < 0.01–0.05) and rabbit kidney cells (RK13; 10−1 M; P < 0.01). In contrast with the proliferation activity of cells, a cytopathic effect based on cellular damage and LDH leakage into the medium was observed only at the highest concentration (10−1 M) in RK 13 and WBF344 cells, but no...