title: Cytotoxicity Assays as Predictors of the Safety and Efficacy of Antimicrobial Agents.
abstract: The development of safe antimicrobial agents is important for the effective treatment of pathogens. From a multitude of discovered inhibitory compounds only few antimicrobial agents are able to enter the market. Many antimicrobials are, on the one hand, quite effective in killing pathogens but, on the other hand, cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells. Cell health can be monitored by various methods. Plasma membrane integrity, DNA synthesis, enzyme activity, and reducing conditions within the cell are known indicators of cell viability and cell death. For a comprehensive overview, methods to analyze cytotoxic and hemolytic effects, e.g., lactate dehydrogenase release, cell proliferation analysis, cell viability analysis, and hemolysis assay of antimicrobial compounds on human cells, are described in this chapter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen(IMIT), University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zipperer
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen(IMIT), University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. dorothee.kretschmer@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Dorothee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kretschmer
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D010078:Oxazines / Q000378:metabolism; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010078:Oxazines; D014966:Xanthenes; D003609:Dactinomycin; C005843:resazurin; C025942:7-aminoactinomycin D; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
keywords: Cell proliferation reagent WST-1; Cytotoxicity assay; Hemolysis assay; Lactate dehydrogenase release; Resazurin-based cell viability assay