Cytotoxicity

Encyclopedia : C : CY : CYT : Cytotoxicity

Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are a chemical substance or an immune cell.

Cytotoxicity can be measured by the MTT assay.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) describes the cell-killing ability of certain lymphocytes, which requires the target cell being marked by an antibody. Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity, on the other hand, does not have to be mediated by antibodies; nor does complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), which is mediated by the complement system.

Three groups of cytotoxic T lymphocytes are distinguished: antigenic (immunized) T lymphocytes, killer cells, and natural killer cells.

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