Alternatives toIn vivoStudies in Toxicology

Abstract

Toxicology or its appplied product evaluation function (also called safety assessment) has now been in the forefront of the public's interest and expectations since at least the Second World War. As our understanding increased, a range of test designs and experimental methods using intact higher animals rapidly developed and came to be accepted in regulation and law. However, as we have come to understand more of both how biological systems work and of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie specific toxicities, we have also come to understand that intact higher animals may not be the only model system that allows us to identify and evaluate adverse effects resulting from exposure to a drug or chemical. Since the early 1980s, this has lead to extensive efforts to develop and validate non‐animal methods. And to use these to the extent possible to take the place of intact animals in the identification and evaluation of hazards for regulatory purposes. This chapter seeks to capture the current breadth and status of that journey.

Antioxidant and antifungal properties of essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare) and mint (Mentha arvensis) against Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium commune for use in food preservation

“…Substances are classified in more or less toxic potential according to the IC 50 value: i) IC 50 <10 µg/mL is a very toxic substance, ii) IC 50 = 10-100 µg/mL is a toxic substance, iii) IC 50 = 100-1000 µg /mL is a harmful substance, and iv) IC 50 > 1000 µg/mL is a non-toxic substance (Gad-Shayne, 2009). According to this classification, oregano and mint oils might be considered potentially toxic to human cells (NGM) and potentially very toxic to murine cells (NIH-3T3) in the conditions tested.…”

Enhancing the Bioconversion of Azelaic Acid to Its Derivatives by Response Surface Methodology

“…(Gad, 2009) reported that IC 50 value lower than 10 μg/mL is very toxic, while 10–100 μg/mL is toxic. In this study, the cells were still able to survive without any sign of toxicity for dilaurylazelate ester; thus, it was proven to be non-toxic in this MTT assay compared with AzA and is safe to be used in pharmaceutical applications [ 26 ].…”

Assessment of the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and antigenotoxic activities of sucupira oil (Pterodon emarginatus)

“…It is noteworthy that ethylene oxide is an important compound of sucupira oil and is mainly responsible for this effect with a cellular influx of 47.0 µg/mL (Dutra et al, 2012). A reference half maximal inhibitory concentration <10 mg/mL is considered highly toxic according to published guidelines, and it is therefore possible to deduce that this active compound indeed has high toxicity (Santos Pimenta et al, 2003;Dutra et al, 2008;Gad, 2009).…”