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Bacterial cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis in promyelocytic (Line HL‐60) cells by novel organotellurium compounds
Author(s) -
Sailer Brian L.,
Prow Tarl,
Dickerson Sarah,
Watson John,
Liles Nathan,
Patel Shiv J.,
Van FleetStalder Verena,
Chasteen Thomas G.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620181239
Subject(s) - apoptosis , programmed cell death , tellurium , selenium , chemistry , cytotoxicity , flow cytometry , toxicity , cell culture , mode of action , sodium selenate , biochemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry , in vitro , genetics
The increasing importance of tellurium in organic synthesis, in industrial applications, and as a possible component in pesticides means that its introduction into the environment will probably increase in the future. A knowledge of the relative toxicity and the mode of toxic action of tellurium‐containing chemicals is therefore important. The work presented here, using growth‐rate inhibition effects on Pseudomonas fluorescens of two model compounds, telluranthrene and tetrachlorodiphenyl ditelluride, suggests that these compounds are at least as toxic as the relatively well‐known selenium oxyanions, selenate and selenite. Experiments with human promyelocytic (line HL‐60) cells indicate that both the above organotellurium compounds induce a form of cell death called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. The induction of apoptosis occurred in both a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner, as assayed by three different analytical methods: fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and gel electrophoresis. The results indicate that organotellurium compounds may find applicability in the fields of chemoprevention and cancer therapy, similar to organoselenium compounds.