The use of violacein to study biochemical behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Violacein, a biochemical compound produced by Chromobactarium violaceum which has antichagasic properties, was used to study biochemical behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. At 20 mu M and 40 mu M, violacein did not alter the membrane potential (Delta Psi) of S. cerevisae cells, which means that the integrity of the cell membrane was maintained. On the other hand, at 60 mu M and 80 mu M, violacein produced significant alterations in the membrane potential. This information will be very useful in using S. cerevisiae cells as a model to test the toxicity of new drugs before using in animals or human beings.