Alternative lung cell model systems for toxicology testing strategies: Current knowledge and future outlook

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary toxicology
• Inhalation toxicology
• Respiratory system modeling

Background:

• Current pulmonary toxicology research emphasizes physiologically relevant models of the entire respiratory tract.
• There is a critical need to transition from rodent models to human-relevant systems for assessing inhaled substances.
• Balancing cost, labor, and regulatory requirements is essential in lung model development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and identify alternative models for assessing pulmonary toxicology of inhaled substances.
• To describe current and potential developments in advanced lung models for toxicology testing.
• To explore how these models can be applied to fill knowledge gaps in toxicology.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on alternative lung models.
• Identification of models mimicking various lung regions and exposure methods.
• Focus on advanced technologies like lung-on-a-chip and bioprinting.

Main Results:

• Various alternative models are being developed and applied for pulmonary toxicology.
• Advanced models incorporate physiological conditions such as fluid-flow and dynamic movement.
• Lung-on-a-chip technologies and bioprinting show significant progress.

Conclusions:

• Advanced lung models offer promising alternatives to animal testing in pulmonary toxicology.
• These models enhance the physiological relevance and accuracy of inhaled substance assessment.
• Continued development and optimization are key to their widespread adoption in toxicology testing strategies.