The Status Of Alternative Methods In Toxicology

Over the last 10-15 years there has been a concerted effort to cause less pain and distress in experimental animals by refining current methods, reducing the number of animals used, and ultimately replacing these experiments with in vitro alternatives. This book discusses the status of alternative methods in toxicology and outlines the most well established and most promising in vitro tests currently available. The book provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging review of these methods and documents their progress in terms of validation and research. It identifies areas where more effort is needed to bring tests towards validation and others where the tests will never be suitable for this purpose. It also looks at future requirements and makes recommendations which will benefit the field. Topics covered include cytotoxicity testing and other in vitro methods for evaluating acute toxicity, eye and skin irritation, target organ toxicity (liver, kidney, lung, cardiovascular system and blood), target system toxicity (nervous system, immune system and reproductive system, including embryotoxicity/teratogenicity) and dermal absorption. Also covered are structure-activity relationships and the application of this approach to the various toxicological endpoints. A comprehensive bibliography is provided. Deriving from a study funded by the Measurements and Testing Programme of the European Community, The Status of Alternative Methods in Toxicology is a must for anyone involved in this important and emotive field, whether undergraduate, graduate, teacher or researcher.