PROCESS FOR DETERMINING CYTOTOXICITY USING POLLEN TUBES CULTIVATED IN VITRO (PTG TEST)

摘要

The pollen tube growth (PTG) test is a known process for determining the toxicity of chemicals. In the prior art process a plurality of cumbersome individual steps are needed in preparing and evaluating the test which are simplified or made redundant by the process of the invention. Preparation of the test is simplified by the production of finished preparations with a longer shelf life containing both the culture medium and the pollen ready for use. These finished preparations are produced by drying the medium in the culture vessels and then distributing the pollen with a non-aqueous organic solvent (e.g. hexane). If the test is performed in microtitration plates, evaluation is possible directly by measuring the turbidity in the microtitration plate photometer if the pollen tube pellet has been homogenised by a considerable change in the pH value. Alternatively the evaluation may be made conventionally by dyeing and bleaching the pollen tubes in deep-well microtitration plates. Performance of the PTG test for toxicity investigations, primarily as a replacement for testing on animals.