Liver cell culture toxicity and surfactant potency of erythromycin derivatives

Abstract

When Chang liver cell cultures were exposed to a new erythromycin salt, erythromycin cetyl sulfate, and other marketed erythromycin derivatives (erythromycin base, stearate, and estolate) only the cetyl sulfate and estolate salts had cytotoxic effects. Both compounds were very active in lowering surface tension which suggests a possible relationship between this physiocochemical property and their cytotoxic potential in vitro. These in vitro results correlate with the known differences in clinical hepatotoxic potential of the marketed erythromycin derivatives and suggest the possible usefulness of this method for cytotoxicity screening of newly developed therapeutic drugs.