In vitro studies of mechanisms of cytotoxicity

A variety of model systems has been used to study mechanisms of cytotoxicity in vitro. These include purified enzymes, subcellular fractions, freshly isolated cells and perfused organs. Freshly isolated cells provide a number of distinct advantages and have become a popular experimental model in many laboratories. This paper discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of isolated cell preparations for studies of cytotoxicity and summarizes the results of recent work in which isolated hepatocytes and renal epithelial cells have been used to examine the metabolism and toxicity of menadione and hexachloro-1,3-butadiene.