[Cytotoxicity of mercury and cadmium].

Abstract

Having defined cytotoxicity and shown the diversity and the advantage of a cellular material, the authors strived to ascertain the chemical affinities of mercury and cadmium, trying to find their toxic potentialities at the cellular level. A global evaluation of the toxicity of these compounds on the different cellular materials was considered. There are several reviews on the principal mechanisms of toxic action, that apply to the most vulnerable targets of the cell, such as the nucleus and nucleic acids, and to a minor degree, the plasmic membrane and the lysosome. The authors conclude, stressing the advantage of punctual cytotoxicity tests, without forgetting the problems that inevitably follow from them. These tests used jointly with other short tests, in vivo, can serve as a first experimental approach to the evaluation of the cytotoxicity of a substance.