ABSTRACT
The cardiovascular system is composed of two parts: the heart and the blood vessels. The heart is a vital organ in the body, providing essential energy sources to each organ. Although the heart is not a common target organ for xenobiotic-associated toxicity, it can be damaged by a variety of chemicals. These compounds act either directly on the myocardium or 374indirectly through the nervous system or blood vessels. In terms of blood vessels, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells may be major target cells for chemical-mediated toxicity, since they are continuously exposed to absorbed xenobiotics by the systemic circulation. A list of chemicals showing cardiotoxicity is presented in Table 19.1. Table 19.2 provides a list of chemicals with vascular toxic potential.
