[Cytotoxicity of povidone-iodine on cultured mammalian cells].

Cytotoxicity of povidone-iodine on cultured mammalian cells was studied using cultured Chinese hamster lung cells (V 79 cells). Treatment of V 79 cells with povidone-iodine at 100-500 micrograms/ml for 24 to 72 hr induced a growth inhibition of the cells in a dose-dependent manner. Although minimum inhibition of survival of V 79 cells was elicited in cultures treated with povidone-iodine at 100-300 micrograms/ml for 2 to 24 hr, treatment at 500 micrograms/ml for 6 to 24 hr resulted in decrease in cell survival in a treatment time-dependent fasion. Exposure of cells to povidone-iodine at 100-500 micrograms/ml for 2 hr caused inhibition of DNA, RNA or protein synthesis of cells up to 13.9% of untreated cells. These results indicate that cytotoxicity of povidone-iodine occurs in dose- and treatment time-dependent manners and that povidone-iodine induces inhibition of DNA, RNA and protein syntheses of cells, even by the treatment which causes no reduction of cell survival.