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In vitro toxicology is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of biological research today. It is generally conceded that this is a result of pressure from the public for safer products and environmental conditions and, in these recessionary times, pressure from company accountants, who often perceive in vitro experimentation as a cheaper option than lawsuits, fines, and expensive remediation. Toxicologists themselves form one group whose vigor and influence on the evolution of in vitro toxicology is often underestimated. Many toxicologists have for some time been unhappy with the quantity (often a result of unnecessary duplication), the reliability, and the ethical circumstances of much animal experimentation. It is hoped that the present book, In Vitro Toxicity Testing Protocols, will play some part in enabling and encouraging the more widespread use of in vitro techniques. Since in vitro toxicity testing methodology is evolving at such a rapid rate, this book can of necessity provide only a "snapshot" of the major techniques in use at the present time. As with the other publications in Humana Press' Methods in Molecular Biology series, the aim has been to supply information on the fundamental requirements for the establishment of new techniques within working laboratories and to describe a variety of basic in vitro methodologies. Certain of the techniques detailed here could more accurately be described as ex vivo rather than truly in vitro. No apology is made for the inclusion of these techniques.
List of contents
Alternative Method of Assessing Toxicity.- Alternative Method of Assessing Toxicity.- Target Organ Toxicity.- LLC-RK1 Cell Screening Test for Nephrotoxicity.- Preparation and Use of Cultured Astrocytes for Assay of Gliotoxicity.- Human Thyroid Culture.- Thyroid Follicular Cells in Monolayer Culture.- Dust Toxicity in Rat Alveolar Macrophage Cultures.- Hepatoma Cell Cultures as In Vitro Models for Hepatotoxicity.- Cytotoxicity, DNA Fragmentation, and DNA Repair Synthesis in Primary Human Hepatocytes.- Model Cavity Method.- Human Esophageal Culture.- The Application of In Vitro Models of Anterior Pituitary Function in Toxicity Testing.- The Application of In Vitro Models of Hypothalamic Function in Toxicity Testing.- General and Topical Toxicity.- The FRAME Cytotoxicity Test (Kenacid Blue).- Allium Test.- Measurement of Cell Membrane Toxicity by Means of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose.- MTT Assays.- V79 Cytotoxicity Test for Membrane Damage.- SIRC Cytotoxicity Test.- Rabbit Articular Chondrocyte Functional Toxicity Test.- Balb/c 3T3 Cytotoxicity Test.- The Pollen Tube Growth Test.- Irritancy Testing.- HET-CAM Test.- The Use of the Bovine Isolated Cornea as a Possible In Vitro Test for Occular Irritancy.- Cytotoxicity in an Anchorage-Independent Fibroblast Cell Line Measured by a Combination of Fluorescent Dyes.- Cell Culture Phototoxicity Test.- Immunotoxicity.- The Murine Local Lymph Node Assay.- Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Locomotion.- Immune Function Assays.- Carcinogenesis.- The DNA Alkaline Unwinding Genotoxicity Test.- Measurement of Unscheduled DNA Synthesis In Vitro Using Primary Rat Hepatocyte Cultures.- Gene Mutation Assays in Mammalian Cells.- Measurement of Chromosome Aberrations In Vitro Using Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes.- Mutation Assays in Bacteria.- Submammalianand Subvertebrate Models.- Chick Embryotoxicity Screening Test (CHEST I and II).- Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay.- The Drosophila melanogaster Assay.- The Hydra attenuata Assay.
Report
...an excellent presentation of the recent advances made in in-vitro toxicology...authors place these advances in a meaningful perspective and present the material in easy to follow protocol...the authors succeeded in their efforts to fill the need for current knowledge on this subject.****-Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal
