Cytotoxicity is the property of an agent, whether a drug, chemical, nanomaterial, or biological substance, to cause damage or death to cells, and it is a core readout in pharmacology, toxicology, and anticancer drug development. Cytotoxic effects arise through diverse mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis or …
Cytotoxicity is the property of an agent, whether a drug, chemical, nanomaterial, or biological substance, to cause damage or death to cells, and it is a core readout in pharmacology, toxicology, and anticancer drug development. Cytotoxic effects arise through diverse mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis or necrosis, disruption of membrane integrity, generation of oxidative stress, interference with DNA replication and the cell cycle, and inhibition of metabolic function. Cytotoxicity is quantified in vitro through cell-viability and proliferation assays, such as tetrazolium-based, dye-exclusion, and metabolic-activity measurements, which yield dose-response relationships and parameters like the half-maximal inhibitory concentration that characterize potency and selectivity. A central goal in oncology is selective cytotoxicity, in which malignant cells are preferentially killed while normal cells are spared, a principle that guides the design of chemotherapeutics, targeted agents, and drug-delivery systems including pH-sensitive nanomedicines. The peer-reviewed research grouped under this topic spans antibacterial and cytotoxicity evaluation of natural compounds, selective cytotoxicity of derivatives in cancer cells, nanomedicine and nanoparticle-based cytotoxic delivery, cytoprotection against oxidative injury, and in-vitro biomarker and anticancer assessment. Understanding cytotoxicity and its measurement is foundational to drug screening, cancer therapeutics, and safety assessment, providing the quantitative basis for evaluating efficacy, selectivity, and the therapeutic window of candidate compounds.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 68 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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