Toxicity study with sodium picosulfate in cultured liver cells of rabbit, rat and man

The effect of sodium picosulfate was examined in liver cell cultures of rabbit, rat and man exposed to substance concentrations of 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 micrograms/ml. At 400, 800 and 1600 micrograms/ml the rapidly growing cultured liver cells of rabbit showed dose-dependently vacuolic and fatty change as well as necrosis combined with a lowered mitotic activity and a slight increase in LDH values in the medium at 800 and 1600 micrograms/ml. Comparable but less severe effects were observed in 4-day old liver cell cultures of rat, while liver cells cultured for 6 to 11 days tolerated 1600 micrograms/ml sodium picosulfate. In human liver cultures the number of cells was slightly lowered at 800 and 1600 micrograms/ml and the number of nuclei in division was decreased dependent on dose.