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Related Concept Videos

Toxicity Testing in Animals01:23

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
Types of Toxins01:36

Types of Toxins

Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Toxicokinetics: Overview01:21

Toxicokinetics: Overview

Studies that assess how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted (ADME) at toxic doses are termed toxicokinetics. Understanding toxicokinetics helps predict adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and manage toxicity in humans.Toxicokinetics differs from pharmacokinetics mainly in the dose levels studied, with toxicokinetics focusing on higher toxic doses. The kinetics at these levels can be non-linear due to altered physiological processes. Toxicodynamics examines the relationship...
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions01:24

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity01:25

Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity refer to the ability of drugs to cause genetic defects and induce cancer, respectively. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies agents into four groups based on their carcinogenic potential. Group 1 agents are known human carcinogens; group 2A agents are probably carcinogenic to humans; group 3 agents lack data to support their role in carcinogenesis; and group 4 includes agents for which data support that they are not likely to be...

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Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation
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Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation

Published on: June 17, 2015

Developmental toxicity testing: protecting future generations?

Jarrod Bailey1

  • 1Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, DC 20016, USA. jarrod.bailey@newcastle.ac.uk

Alternatives to Laboratory Animals : ATLA
|January 22, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Animal testing for developmental and reproductive toxicology is unreliable and costly. Developing and adopting alternative methods is urgently needed to assess chemical safety for human health.

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Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Pharmacology
  • Chemical Safety

Background:

  • An editorial suggested continued reliance on animal testing for developmental and reproductive toxicology.
  • The editorial claimed animal tests could have prevented the thalidomide disaster and protect children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the utility of animal-based developmental and reproductive toxicology tests.
  • To advocate for the urgent development and adoption of alternative testing methods.

Main Methods:

  • Critical review of existing literature and arguments for animal testing.
  • Analysis of the predictive value, cost, and time-efficiency of animal toxicology studies.
  • Consideration of the scale of chemical exposure and testing needs.

Main Results:

  • Animal tests in developmental and reproductive toxicology lack reliable predictive value for human responses.
  • These tests are prohibitively expensive and time-consuming for assessing the vast number of chemicals.
  • The sheer number of chemicals (over 100,000) necessitates alternative approaches.

Conclusions:

  • Animal-based toxicology tests are inadequate for ensuring human safety from chemical exposure.
  • Urgent development, acceptance, and implementation of alternative testing strategies are imperative.
  • Transitioning to alternative methods is crucial for efficient and reliable chemical risk assessment.