Cellular bioelectric profiling: a novel method to differentially assess the in vitro toxicity of pesticides

Abstract

We present a novel approach for assessing pesticide toxicity on mammalian cells, by measuring the response patterns of four cell lines (two neuroblastoma and two fibroblast) to three different pesticide groups (carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids) at a broad range of concentrations. Two different aspects of the cellular bioelectric response are measured, namely the potential and the combined resistance + capacitance of the cell suspension. Both the cell line and the mode of measurement affected the observed in vitro cellular responses, with each cell type providing a unique pattern. The measured of resistance + capacitance through amperometry provided more reproducible results than potentiometry. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of bioelectric profiling as a tool for developing novel toxicity assays and associated biosensors with superior analytical capacity, speed of assay and the ability to respond to a broad spectrum of toxicants, at the same time satisfying the demand for increased cost-efficiency and ease of operation.