Antimetabolic Action of 6-Aminonicotinamide on the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in the Brain

Abstract

In attempting to understand the mechanism by which a toxic agent interferes with the normal functioning of cells, studies may be carried out at at least three levels: (i) an anatomical level, with a description of the changes in tissues, cells or cell components; (ii) a chemical level, with cytochemical techniques used in situ or studies in vitro on separate cellular constituents; (iii) a genetical level, with a follow-up of the offspring of treated animals, or of treated cells. Though some poisons are equally toxic for all cells, most are more toxic for one type of cell than another. It is only by the use of several experimental systems, multicellular, single-cell or sub-cellular, that the reason for such differences can be discovered.