Effect of volatile anaesthetics on cell survival as measured by colony forming ability.

Chinese hamster fibroblast cells in stirred suspension cultures were exposed to volatile anaesthetic agents for 3 hr or for 24 hr. Cell viability was measured as colony forming ability and was found to be reduced, in a dose related manner, by halothane, chloroform, methoxyflurane, trichloroetheylene and diethyl ether.