[Cytotoxicity of ethyl alcohol on cultured mammalian cells]

Cytotoxicity of ethyl alcohol on cultured mammalian cells was studied. Growth of V79 cells, derived from Chinese hamster lung was inhibited by treatment with ethyl alcohol at 10.0V/V% for 24 to 72 hr, meanwhile no significant inhibition of cell growth was observed in cultures treated with ethyl alcohol at 1.0 or 3.0V/V%. Treatment of V79 cells with ethyl alcohol at 3.0V/V% for 2, 6, 12, or 24 hr resulted in a reduction of cell survival in a treatment-time related fashion. Exposure of the cells to ethyl alcohol at 10.0V/V% for 2 to 24 hr caused 100% inhibition of cell survival. Inhibition of DNA-, RNA-, and protein-syntheses of the cells was induced by treatment with ethyl alcohol at 1.0 to 10.0V/V% for 2 hr, in a dose-related manner.