The in vivo toxicity of new metallodrugs either as Small Bioactive Molecules (SBAMs) or Conjugates of Metals with Drugs (CoMeDs) or their hydrogels such as with hydroxyethyl-methacrylate (HEMA) (pHEMA@SBAMs or pHEMA@CoMeDs) are evaluated by the brine shrimp assay. Thus individuals of Artemia salina larvae are incubated in saline solutions with SBAMs, CoMeDs, pHEMA@SBAMs or pHEMA@CoMeDs or without for 24 h. The toxicity is then determined in terms of the mortality rate of brine shrimp larvae. Brine shrimp assay is a low cost, safe, no required feeding during the assay, while it requiring only a small amount of the tested agent.

The in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity of new metallodrugs either as Small Bioactive Molecules (SBAMs) or Conjugates of Metals with Drugs (CoMeDs) is evaluated by the micronucleus test and the Allium cepa assay, respectively. Fetal lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5), normal human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) and immortalized human keratinocytes cells (HaCaT) were incubated with solutions of SBAMs or CoMeDs at their IC₅₀ values for 48 h (the concentration of a compound which is required to inhibit the cells growth by 50% in relation to the non-treated cells). The micronucleus abundance percentage towards the corresponding one, of the non-treated cells indicates the in vitro genotoxicity of the formulations. The in vivo Allium cepa test comprises the exposing of the plant Allium cepa roots to an SBAMs or a CoMeDs solution for 48 h. The percentages of the mitotic index, the chromosome aberrations, the nuclear abnormalities and the presence of the micronucleus are calculated indicating the in vivo genotoxicity of the agent.