Alyssa M. Zimmer¹, Michelle L. Colopy¹, Amy J. Heston^1,

Heavy metals, such as thallium, are both toxic to humans and hazardous to society. The focus of this undergraduate project was to continue a unique research experience that was tailored for nursing students and to assess its effectiveness while exploring new directions in undergraduate medicinal chemistry. Two honors nursing students, who had only two semesters of chemistry laboratory experience, investigated the antiproliferative effects of thallium salts on glioblastoma multiforme cells (GBM), human bladder cancer cells (HTB-5), and canine bladder cancer cells (canine TCC). Critical thinking in chemistry and its application to real-life situations were key learning objectives in investigating the toxic effects of thallium ions on biological cells. Thallium and potassium possess very similar atomic radii, resulting in the ability of Tl⁺ to easily enter the cell via the Na⁺/K⁺ pump. Cytotoxicity was monitored utilizing a Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Results indicated growth inhibition for all cell lines was observed as the concentration was increased to 25 µM TlNO₃. An in-depth study revealed that cell death was found for GBM (100 µM TlNO₃) and HTB-5 (150 µM TlNO₃). Remarkably, the Canine TCC cells tolerated 800 µM TlNO₃. The procedure and techniques were designed to limit exposure to toxins and enhance the education of Walsh University’s nursing majors in the honors program.

GBM cells, thallium, cancer, medicinal chemistry, HTB-5 cells, Canine TCC cells, undergraduate research