Cytotoxic and oncogenic activities of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane and metabolites to mouse embryo cells in culture.

The cytotoxic and oncogenic activities of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT), and its metabolites 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE), and bis(p-chlorophenyl)acetic acid, were studies at various equimolar concentrations in an in vitro mouse embryo cell culture system that was malignantly transformable. DDD was the most active compound in producing transformation, whereas DDT and DDE showed slight activity. However, none of the transformed foci had the typical malignantly transformed morphology produced by 7,12-dimethylben[a]anthracene and did not produce tumors when inoculated into syngeneic mice.