Growth and respiration of monolayer cell cultures of chick embryo heart and skeletal muscle: action of malathion and malaoxon.

Abstract

SummaryThe respiration of chick embryo heart and pectoral muscle cell cultures was determined using a polarographic respiration chamber designed specifically to measure the oxygen consumption of monolayers of cells. Heart cultures had a mean respiration rate of 215 ± 84 mμmoles O2/hr/106 cells; pectoral muscle cultures had a mean respiration rate of 163 ± 46 mμmoles Oa/hr/106 cells. Malathion 3 × 10−4M reduced the respiration of pectoral muscle cultures to 26% of normal and the respiration of heart cultures to 50% of normal. Malaoxon 3 × 10−4M had no effect upon the respiration of either cell type. Growth studies indicated that malathion was more toxic than malaoxon to the growth of both cell types.