Comparison of Cytotoxicity among Sera from Various Sources.

Abstract

We have recently demonstrated that fetal bovine serum (FBS), at a high concentration, caused cell death in vitro. Bovine plasma also had such an effect (Kurita and Namiki 1993). In the present study, growth stimulating activity and cytotoxicity of several types of sera were compared using TIG-1, human fetal lung fibroblasts. No big differences were observed in terms of growth stimulating activity among bovine, human, equine and swine sera. In regard to cytotoxicity, bovine sera showed the strongest activity and cell death was observed in all the batches of the sera. Human, equine and swine sera were toxically little weaker, and occasionally did not raise the cell death. On the contrary, both mouse and rat sera exhibited quite low growth activity and high cytotoxicity, being hardly applicable for culture media.Although inactivation of the compliment (incubated at 57°C for 30 min) slightly weakened the cytotoxicity, it never disappeared by any further incubation. The tendency was observed in all the cases of sera examined, suggesting the substance that caused cytotoxicity was not the compliment but some other factor(s) resistant to heat.