Toxic effects of free and DNA-linked daunorubicin on isolated rat cardiac myocytes.

Isolated cardiac myocytes from adult rats were used as a model to study the cardiotoxicity of free and DNA-linked daunorubicin. The toxic effects on the myocytes were evaluated by studying morphological changes, trypan blue exclusion and cell membrane permeability to NADH, as determined by LDH-activity. At a concentration of 100 microM daunorubicin caused an increased plasma membrane permeability within 30 min.