Methods in Toxicology

Discusses methods for assessing the behavioural, hormonal and cellular changes that occur at all levels during exposure to reproductive toxicants. For easy reference, the book is organized first by pregnancy state, then by tissue response, then by cells within that tissue.

---

In the tradition of Methods in Enzymology and Methods in Neurosciences, Academic Press is pleased to announce a new serial - Methods in Toxicology. There is a pressing need among researchers involved in toxicologic investigation for a series of publications that organizes and presents information on the latest experimental methodologies. To address the needs of researchers in toxicology, toxicologic pathology, pharmacology, and clinical biochemistry, this new serial provides comprehensive descriptions of state-of-the-art methods for evaluating drug and chemical toxicity. Thematic volumes focus on mechanistic approaches to the study of toxicity both in vitro and in vivo, taking advantage of the recent advances in the biological and chemical sciences that allow closer scrutiny of the mechanisms by which chemical agents cause damage. Each volume begins with an introductory chapter that offers a broad guide to the application of methods addressed in that volume. Subsequent chapters contain detailed descriptions of research protocols, accessible both to experts and those new to toxicologic investigation.
Included in each chapter are clearly defined procedures, discussions of limitations of the method, comparative considerations (species, sex, strain), interpretations of results, and explanations of how the methods may serve as alternatives to in vivo testing. Each volume of Methods in Toxicology is available in case binding for the library and Wire-O binding for the laboratory. Efforts to understand the adverse effects of reproductive toxicants must address a series of precisely timed interactions, not only among the organs involved (brain, pituitary, and ovary) but also within those organs, in the female, pregnancy may vary the primary effect, so events that occur in both the pregnant and non-pregnant animal must be assessed. This requires the use of a broad array of in vivo and in vitro techniques. This book brings together for the first time in a single volume many methods for assessing the behavioral, hormonal, and cellular changes that occur at all levels during exposure to reproductive toxicants. Each chapter contains not only a detailed, step-by-step protocol, but also the reasons for the key steps - as well as possible variations - where applicable.
For easy reference, the book is organized first by pregnancy state, then by tissue response, then by cells within that tissue. These are all tied together by an introduction that puts each method into perspective within the field and provides ways of integrating the different methods to generate a complete understanding of the effects a toxicant creates. The intent is to demystify the complexities of reproductive toxicology so that more investigators will address the area and will, in turn, produce a better understanding of the sites and modes of action of reproductive toxicants.