The aim of the present study was to investigate in vitro the mechanism of toxicity of isoniazid (= INH), the drug most widely used for treatment of tuberculosis. The human hepatoma line HepG2, the human lymphoblastoid line AHH-1 and the murine lymphoma cells YAC-1 were used as test systems. Active cell death (= apoptosis) and necrosis were detected by different flow cytometric methods: the binding of annexin V to the cell membrane and staining with propidium iodide (PI), the TUNEL assay for detection of DNA fragmentation and the occurrence of a sub G1 peak in cell cycle histograms. Mitochondrial membrane potential was analysed with the fluorescent probe JC-1. In addition to cytotoxicity, effects of INH on cell cycle were studied in HepG2 cells. The data of the present investigations indicate that INH induces cytotoxicity via apoptosis both in hepatoma and lymphoma cells. Twenty-four hours of application of INH in concentrations > 26 mM led to a remarkable number of apoptotic cells positive for Annexin V. The induction of apoptosis was accompanied by a break down of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the occurrence of DNA strand breaks. At incubation times from 36 to 48 hours, a sub-G1 peak of late apoptotic cells was detected in cell cycle analysis. Furthermore, cell cycle studies showed a disruption of the cycle at low concentrations of INH which are only mildly cytotoxic. Thus the present study unequivocally demonstrated that INH induces cytotoxicity via apoptosis and can lead to a significant disturbance of the cell cycle in mammalian cells.