In vitro cytotoxicity assessment of different solvents used in pesticide dilution

Pesticides are diluted in products called solvents for spraying fields and for cell viability studies. This study aimed to determine whether pesticide solvents can alter the toxicity of endosulfan and Vero cell viability. Thus, the cytotoxicity of some diluents commonly used in pesticide solutions was evaluated by the neutral red incorporation technique and cell growth. Vero cells were exposed to endosulfan dissolved in sunflower (<i>Helianthus annus</i>, Linnaeus) oil, corn (<i>Zea mays</i>, Linnaeus) oil, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and Tween 80, at a concentration of 1 µg L^-1 for a period of 96 h. The results showed that both DMSO and Tween 80 induced a significant increase in cytotoxicity compared to sunflower oil and corn oil. Moreover, Tween 80 had a significant cytotoxic effect (<i>P</i> < 0.05) when compared to DMSO. The solvent can alter the toxicity of endosulfan, decreasing Vero cell viability, as was the case with DMSO and Tween 80.