Cytotoxicity in an Anchorage-Independent Fibroblast Cell Line Measured by a Combination of Fluorescent Dyes

In the search for valid alternatives to animals in assessing the acute toxicity of substances foreign to humans, the use of cells in vitro is a sound proposition. The validity of any in vitro model is limited, however, because the physiological, immunological, and inflammatory conditions in vivo cannot be reproduced in vitro (1 ). In fact, these elements also mean that difficulties occur when extrapolating results from whole animals to events in humans.