<Review>Alternatives to animal experiments in developmental toxicity studies

概要

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Developmental toxicity is the complicated mechanism which should be understood as the mother-fetus complex, and stage specificity is the most important principle. Four checkpoints to examine developmental toxicity exist ; 1) chemical structure, 2) in vitro studies, 3) in vivo mammalian studies, and 4) human surveys. The third checkpoint, in vivo mammalian studies, has been the final and greatest hurdle for chemicals before marketing. However, due to the recent movement of animal welfare, alternatives to animal experiments are emphasized. These alternatives are represented by 3Rs : replacement, reduction and refinement. Accordingly, in developmental toxicity studies, the necessity and usefulness of the second checkpoint, in vitro studies including non-mammalian systems, is increasingly recognized. It should be stressed that these four checkpoints are not one-way but compensate one another. Researches of in vitro studies should aim at the new 3Rs : rapid, reliable and rational. The goals of in vitro studies are divided into two categories : 1) prescreening and 2) mechanistic studies. In the former, the establishment of the battery system based on different developmental mechanisms is urgently awaited.
近畿大学の論文