Toxicologic Pathology of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Overview, Challenges, and Current Practices

Area of Science:

• Toxicologic Pathology
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Peripheral nervous system (PNS) toxicity is a frequent adverse effect of therapeutics, industrial chemicals, and environmental agents.
• A significant knowledge gap exists in designing, conducting, and reporting studies to effectively identify and define PNS toxicity.
• This course addressed the need for accessible expertise in PNS toxicologic pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of PNS biology and pathology.
• To present current best practices for the evaluation of PNS toxicity in nonclinical safety studies.
• To facilitate the translation of animal data to human risk assessment for PNS toxicologic pathology.

Main Methods:

• Lectures covered basic PNS biology, causes and mechanisms of PNS pathology.
• Detailed discussion on classic and current methods for PNS sampling, preparation, and evaluation.
• Case presentations illustrated real-world examples of drug- and chemical-induced lesions.

Main Results:

• Participants gained familiarity with fundamental PNS biology and pathology.
• Knowledge of best practices for PNS evaluation in safety studies was enhanced.
• Understanding of lesion interpretation and artifact identification was improved.

Conclusions:

• Effective evaluation of PNS toxicity requires integrated knowledge of biology, pathology, and methodology.
• Comparative and correlative data across species are crucial for accurate human risk assessment.
• This course provided a foundational framework for addressing PNS toxicologic pathology in product safety evaluations.