Toxicology of carbaryl and aldicarb on brain and limb cultures of chick embryos.

A variety of carbamates have been developed since the 1960s for use as broad-spectrum insecticides. An easy and inexpensive in vitro assay using chick-embryo derived cells was examined for its capability to screen and test the toxicity of these compounds. Chick embryo brain and limb bud cultures were treated with different concentrations of either carbaryl or aldicarb with or without activation (+/- S-9) for 5 days. Viability and cytotoxicity using the neutral red assay, and carbamate effects on cell migration and colony spread were measured. S-9 decreased the effects of carbaryl and aldicarb on brain cell cytotoxicity at exposures of 15-60 ppm and 40-200 ppm, respectively, as indicated by increased concentrations of neutral red. Viability of brain cell cultures was not altered by aldicarb, but was decreased by carbaryl plus S-9 in concentrations of greater than 40 ppm. In limb cultures, carbaryl without S-9 was significantly toxic at 8-25 ppm, but only concentrations of greater than 25 ppm of carbaryl plus S-9 significantly affected cytotoxicity. In contrast, aldicarb without S-9 caused no effect on limb cell cytotoxicity at concentrations of 40-200 ppm, but aldicarb plus S-9 significantly reduced cellular cytotoxicity at concentrations of greater than 160 ppm. Carbaryl +/- S-9 decreased the spread of both brain and limb colonies; aldicarb +/- S-9 caused a significant increase in the spread of the brain but not limb colonies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)