Cytotoxicity

Cytotoxicity is the ability of a substance to cause cell death. It is a measure of the toxic effect that a given chemical, drug or material has on cells. It is important to evaluate cytotoxicity because it helps to understand the potential harm a certain substance may cause to an organism, thereby aiding in the development of safe and effective medicinal products, as well as assessing the potential environmental impact of a substance. Cytotoxicity assays are also used in the fields of cell biology, genetic engineering, and drug discovery to better understand the effects of different agents on cell growth and metabolism.