Characterization of the cytotoxicity of selected Chelidonium alkaloids in rat hepatocytes.

•Major Chelidonium majus alkaloids are cytotoxic in rat hepatocytes in primary culture.•CAL differ widely in their cytotoxic potency, the cationic congeners chelerythrine, coptisine and sanguinarine being the most toxic ones.•Sanguinarine decreased intracellular glutathione levels, while dihydrosanguinarine did not.•Depletion of glutathione with menadione did not render the cells significantly more susceptible towards sanguinarine or dihydrosanguinarine.•Calculations suggest that in previous animal experiments hepatic CAL levels were too low to elicit hepatotoxicity.