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Cytotoxicity Assays as Predictors of the Safety and Efficacy of Antimicrobial Agents

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Antibiotics

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2601))

Abstract

The development of safe antimicrobial agents is important for the effective treatment of pathogens. From a multitude of discovered inhibitory compounds, only a 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 based on the activity of different intracellular enzymes, and hemolysis assay of antimicrobial compounds on human cells, are described in this updated chapter.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the German Research Council (TRR156, TRR34 to DK) and the Fortüne Program of the Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen (to D.K.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Alexander Zipperer & Dorothee Kretschmer

  2. Department of Dermatology, Division of Dermatooncology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Jasmin Scheurer

Authors
  1. Alexander Zipperer
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  2. Jasmin Scheurer
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  3. Dorothee Kretschmer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dorothee Kretschmer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Peter Sass

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Zipperer, A., Scheurer, J., Kretschmer, D. (2023). Cytotoxicity Assays as Predictors of the Safety and Efficacy of Antimicrobial Agents. In: Sass, P. (eds) Antibiotics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2601. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2855-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2855-3_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2854-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2855-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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