Cytotoxicity

Cytotoxicity is the ability of a compound to kill or damage cells. It is an important trait in biomedical research and drug discovery, as some compounds may be safe and effective for treating disease when applied to certain cell types, but may be toxic to other cell types. For example, some cancer drugs selectively target cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed. Cytotoxicity can also be useful in environmental toxicity testing, where it is used to predict the health effects of a particular compound on living organisms. Cytotoxicity assays are widely used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to evaluate the efficacy and safety of potential drugs and to understand the impact of environmental pollutants on human health.