scholarly journals Replacement Strategies for Animal Studies in Inhalation Testing

Sci ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Eleonore Fröhlich

Animal testing is mandatory in drug testing and is the gold standard for toxicity and efficacy evaluations. This situation is expected to change in the future as the 3Rs principle, which stands for the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in science, is reinforced by many countries. On the other hand, technologies for alternatives to animal testing have increased. The need to develop and use alternatives depends on the complexity of the research topic and also on the extent to which the currently used animal models can mimic human physiology and/or exposure. The lung morphology and physiology of commonly used animal species differs from that of human lungs, and the realistic inhalation exposure of animals is challenging. In vitro and in silico methods can assess important aspects of the in vivo effects, namely particle deposition, dissolution, action at, and permeation through, the respiratory barrier, and pharmacokinetics. This review discusses the limitations of animal models and exposure systems and proposes in vitro and in silico techniques that could, when used together, reduce or even replace animal testing in inhalation testing in the future.

Author(s):  
Eleonore Fröhlich

Testing in animals is mandatory in drug testing and the gold standard for evaluation of toxicity. This situation is expected to change in the future because the 3Rs principle, which stands for replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in science, is reinforced by many countries. On the other hand, technologies for alternatives to animals experiments have increased. The necessity to develop and use of alternatives is influenced by the complexity of the research topic and also by the fact, to which extent the currently used animal models can mimic human physiology and/or exposure. Rodent lung morphology and physiology differs markedly for that of humans and inhalation exposure of the animals are challenging. In vitro and in silico methods can assess important aspects of the in vivo action, namely particle deposition, dissolution, action at and permeation across the respiratory barrier and pharmacokinetics. Out of the numerous homemade in vitro and in silico models some are available commercially or open access. This review discusses limitations of animal models and exposure systems and proposes a panel of in vitro and in silico techniques that, in the future, may replace animal experimentation in inhalation testing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 787-789
Author(s):  
Patrick W. Serruys ◽  
Ahmed Elkoumy ◽  
Osama Soliman
Keyword(s):  
The Past ◽  

Author(s):  
Akash Kumaran ◽  
Prabhu Sukumaran

Background: The aqueous crude extract of Garcinia mangostana fruit pericarp was already proven to contain antiurolithiatic property. Based on this previous study the current study was focused on analysing the anti-urolithiatic property of α- mangostin, a xanthone polyphenol isolated from the fruit pericarp of G. manostana, which has not been tested for its anti-urolithiatic property till now. Objective: The aim of this present study is to evaluate the anti-urolithiatic property of the isolated α- mangostin from G. mangostana fruit pericarp using in silico, in vitro and in vivo analysis. Study Design: Antiurolithiatic activity of α- mangostin through Molecular docking study à In vitro S.S.M model study à Animal studies. Place and Duration: Department of Biotechnology, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Post Bag No.1, Pennalur, Sriperumbudur Tk, Kancheepuram Dt, TN-602117, India. Materials and Methods: In silico Molecular docking of α- mangostin with Kidney stone forming proteins- Xanthine dehydrogenase (Xdh), Oxalate oxidase and Tamm-Horesefall Protein (THP) were performed using AutoDock 4.0 and was visualised in Discovery studio software. In vitro Simultaneous Static flow Model (S.S.M) was performed to investigate its Antiurolithiatic property against Calcium Oxalate (CaOx) and Calcium Phosphate (CaP) crystals. Based on the in silico and in vitro analysis, the study was extrapolated to Ethylene Glycol (EG) induced urolithiasis rat models. The animal study was performed with 36 Albino Wistar rats which were divided into 6 groups. All group except group I received EG (0.75% in drinking water) for the induction of Urolithiasis for 28 days under curative regimen. Group III was administered orally with Cystone (750 mg/kg) from 15th to 28thday. Group IV to VI was administered orally with GMPE (300 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 750 mg/kg) from 15thto 28th day. Results: Molecular Docking studies showed an inhibitory interaction of α- mangostin with oxalate oxidase, Xdh and THP with binding affinity of -4.47, -4.00 and -3.41 Kcal/mol respectively. S.S.M showed 54.71% inhibition for CaOx crystals and 62.21% inhibition of CaP crystals. The animal studies showed significant results in reduction of serum calcium (P<0.01), serum phosphate (P<0.01), urine calcium(P<0.001) and urine phosphate(P<0.01). Conclusion: Thus, α- mangostin proved to be potent Anti-urolithiatic agent by reducing and disintegrating the urinary crystals.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Briassoulis ◽  
Efrossini Briassouli ◽  
Diana-Michaela Fitrolaki ◽  
Ioanna Plati ◽  
Kleovoulos Apostolou ◽  
...  

Heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) exhibits a protective role during times of increased risk of pathogenic challenge and/or tissue damage. The aim of the study was to ascertain Hsp72 protective effect differences between animal and human studies in sepsis using a hypothetical “comparative study” model. Forty-one in vivo (56.1%), in vitro (17.1%), or combined (26.8%) animal and 14 in vivo (2) or in vitro (12) human Hsp72 studies (P<0.0001) were enrolled in the analysis. Of the 14 human studies, 50% showed a protective Hsp72 effect compared to 95.8% protection shown in septic animal studies (P<0.0001). Only human studies reported Hsp72-associated mortality (21.4%) or infection (7.1%) or reported results (14.3%) to be nonprotective (P<0.001). In animal models, any Hsp72 induction method tried increased intracellular Hsp72 (100%), compared to 57.1% of human studies (P<0.02), reduced proinflammatory cytokines (28/29), and enhanced survival (18/18). Animal studies show a clear Hsp72 protective effect in sepsis. Human studies are inconclusive, showing either protection or a possible relation to mortality and infections. This might be due to the fact that using evermore purified target cell populations in animal models, a lot of clinical information regarding the net response that occurs in sepsis is missing.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syevda Tagirova Sirenko ◽  
Kenta Tsutsui ◽  
Kirill Tarasov ◽  
Dongmei Yang ◽  
Ashley N Wirth ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundTranslation of knowledge of sinoatrial nodal “SAN” automaticity gleaned from animal studies to human dysrhythmias, e.g. “Sick Sinus” Syndrome (SSS) requiring electronic pacemaker insertion has been sub-optimal, largely because heart rate (HR) varies widely across species.ObjectivesTo discover regulatory universal mechanisms of normal automaticity in SAN pacemaker cells that are self-similar across species.MethodSub-cellular Ca2+ releases, whole cell AP-induced Ca2+ transients and APs were recorded in isolated mouse, guinea-pig, rabbit and human SAN cells. Parametric Ca2+ and Vm Kinetic Transitions (PCVKT) during phases of AP cycles from their ignition to recovery were quantified.ResultsAlthough both action potential cycle lengths (APCL) and PCVKT during AP cycles differed across species by ten-fold, trans-species scaling of PCVKT during AP cycles and scaling, of PCVKT to APCL in cells in vitro, EKG RR intervals in vivo, and BM were self-similar (obeyed power laws) across species. Thus, APCL in vitro, HR in vivo, and BM of any species can be predicted by PCVKT during AP cycles in SAN cells measured in any single species in vitro.ConclusionsIn designing optimal HR to match widely different BM and energy requirements from mice to humans, nature did not “reinvent pacemaker cell wheels”, but differentially scaled kinetics of gears that regulate the rates at which the “wheels spin”. This discovery will facilitate the development of novel pharmalogic therapies and biologic pacemakers featuring a normal, wide-range rate regulation in animal models and the translation of these to humans to target recalcitrant human SSS.Condensed AbstractStudies in animal models are an important facet of cardiac arrhythmia research. Because HR differs by over ten-fold between some animals and humans, translation of knowledge about regulatory mechanisms of SAN normal automaticity gleaned from studies in animal models to target human SSS has been sub-optimal. Our findings demonstrating that trans-species self-similarity of sub-cellular and cellular mechanisms that couple Ca2+ to Vm during AP cycles can predict heart rate in vivo from mice to humans will inform on the design of novel studies in animal models and facilitate translation of this knowledge to target human disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Yanan Zhao ◽  
David S. Perlin

Rezafungin is a novel echinocandin drug being developed as a first-line option for treatment and prevention of invasive fungal infections. As a result of a structural modification in its parent molecule anidulafungin, rezafungin has acquired unique chemical stability conferring prolonged pharmacokinetics, as well as an administration advantage in the clinical setting compared to other drugs in the same class. Rezafungin displays potent in vitro activity against a wide spectrum of fungal pathogens, which is reflected in robust in vivo efficacy and/or pharmacodynamic studies using various animal models as well as in promising clinical trials data. This review describes in vivo characterization of rezafungin using animal models, current status of clinical development and key findings from these studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Hu ◽  
Fang Huang ◽  
Liuxin Ning ◽  
Jun Hao ◽  
Jiangbo Wan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Tumor cell-derived exosomes (TEXs) have been widely used to induce antitumor immune responses in animal models and clinical trials. Similarly, leukemia cell-derived exosomes (LEXs) can induce antileukemia immune responses in animal models. However, the antileukemia immunity induced by LEXs is less effective, which may be due to an inadequate costimulatory capacity. Methods: In this study, we transduced L1210 leukemia cells with a lentiviral vector encoding two B7 costimulatory molecules (CD80, CD86) and obtained LEXs that highly expressed CD80 and CD86. The antileukemia immune response derived from these LEXs was examined in vitro and in vivo in animal models. Results: We found that B7 gene-modified LEXs, including LEX-CD80, LEX-CD86, and LEX-8086, could significantly boost the expression of CD80 and CD86 in dendritic cells (DCs) and promote the secretion of functional cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-12. Moreover, these B7 gene-modified LEXs, particularly LEX-CD8086, could effectively induce CD4+ T cell proliferation, Th1 cytokine secretion, and an antigen-specific anti-leukemia cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. Additional animal studies indicated that immunization with B7 gene-modified LEXs, in particular LEX-CD8086, could significantly retard tumor growth compared to the control LEXnull group. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the feasibility of obtaining LEXs that overexpress costimulatory molecules via genetically modified leukemia cells, thereby enhancing their anti-leukemia immunity and providing a potential therapeutic strategy that contributes to leukemia immunotherapy.


1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1017-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ih Chu ◽  
Peter Toft

The rabbit eye irritation test based on the Draize method is required for the hazard assessment of chemicals and products that may come into contact with the eye. Due to the potential for the suffering of animals and subjectivity of the test, many modifications of the method have been made that involved a reduction in the number of animals and a refinement of techniques. Additionally, there has been significant development of in vitro alternatives. This paper reviews recent advances in the in vivo test and in vitro alternatives, as well as regulatory requirements. While the refinement of in vivo protocols has resulted in a reduction in the number and discomfort on animals, the development of in vitro alternatives could lead to an eventual replacement of animal studies. In view of the inherent simplicity of many in vitro methods, some of which comprise cell cultures, further research into the relevance/mechanism of effects is required. Batteries of in vitro tests, when properly validated, may be considered as replacements for animal testing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47
Author(s):  
Dr. Monisha.M ◽  
◽  
Dr. Abhaya Kumar Mishra ◽  
Dr. Ramesh N V ◽  
Dr. K Unnikrishna Pillai ◽  
...  

Bioinformatics is the latest technology in the research field. In-silico studies are done to identify the exact target of the drug. Which finds a drug for the particular binding site and final stage animal testing can be done for obtaining a conform result. Reviews of in-silico studies in herbal drugs were retrieved through the use of PubMed. Specific software on a computer allows researchers to analyse enormous data without actually conducting a large number of experiments. It helps to give the existing information to model disease pathway and identifies precise targets of the selected drugs. Modern instrumental techniques like XRD, XRF, ICP-MS etc. help in quantitative and qualitative estimation of metals and minerals and structural analysis of compound drugs. A later stage in vivo and in vitro studies can be done for obtaining the confirmatory result.


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