The effect of HgCl 2 on multiplication and respiration of L-cells cultivated in suspension was studied. The nutritional history, growth phase, initial density of the cells, as well as the concentration of the serum supplement used in the test medium had significant effects on the sensitivity of the bioassay system. We concluded that the cells used for the test should be in the stationary phase at an initial cell density of approximately 2 × 10 5 per milliliter, and the test medium should be free of fetal calf serum.Under our experimental conditions mercuric chloride at a concentration of 10 ⁁g/liter or less inhibited the cellular multiplication significantly; the results indicated that this assay procedure could be adequate for monitoring water quality. The cellular respiration method, however, was less sensitive, but simple and rapid with results being made available within a few hours, and therefore useful for screening or preliminary testing of heavily polluted samples.
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Li et al. (1972) studied this question.