Peptidoglycan isolated from pathogenic bacteria has been previously found to exhibit various biological activities. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the toxicity of Treponema denticola peptidoglycan towards epithelial cells. The cytotoxicity of a lipopolysaccharide-like material was also determined. Epithelial cells were incubated with the test substances and cell viability was assayed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase activity and the conversion of tetrazolium salt into blue formazan. Morphological changes in the epithelial cells were monitored by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. While lipopolysaccharide-like material exerted negligible toxic effects on the epithelial cells, peptidoglycan was highly toxic. This cytotoxicity was both time- and concentration-dependent and was higher in the presence of serum. The epithelial cells appeared to be unable to recover following a short period of incubation with peptidoglycan. The study demonstrated that peptidoglycan from T. denticola is a potent toxic factor for epithelial cells. This represents a potential new virulence factor for this suspected periodontopathogen.