Toxicology of triethyllead, methylmercury and cadmium, determined in chick embryo brain cell cultures.

The toxicology of water soluble chemical compounds may be investigated in tissue culture systems. The toxicology of triethyllead chloride, methylmercury chloride and cadmium acetate was studied in chick embryo brain cell cutlures. Tetraethyllead is added to petrol as an anti-knock agent. When tetraethyllead is absorbed by the organism, it is converted to triethyllead which cause the symptoms of tetraethyllead poisoning. Chick embryo brain cell cultures derived from cerebrum of 11-day-old chick embryos developed both neurons and glial cells. The neurons formed nerve processes and synapsis in the cultures. The effect of triethyllead chloride was investigated by addition of triethyllead chloride to the nutrient medium. The median tissue culture lethal dose, TCLD50 = 1.9 mg/l, was determined as the concentration of triethyllead chloride at which the confluent layer of glial cells was destroyed in 50% of the cultures. The neurons lost their processes at even lower concentration, TCED50 = 0.57 mg/l. Electron microscopy revealed cells with swollen Golgi apparatus and dilated endoplasmic reticulum in chick embryo brain cell cultures which were treated with triethyllead chloride, 1.0 mg/l. Studies with radioactive labelled precursors revealed that triethyllead chloride inhibited the synthesis of DNA, sulfatides and cerebrosides without hydroxyfatty acids.