Humanising nanotoxicology: replacement of animal-derived products in the application of integrated approaches to testing and assessment of nanomaterial inhalation hazard

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Over the past decade, the development of nanomaterials (NMs) has surged, highlighting their potential benefits across multiple industries. However, concerns regarding human and environmental exposure remain significant. Traditional in vivo models for safety assessments are increasingly viewed as unfeasible and unethical due to the diverse forms and biological effects of NMs. This has prompted the design of Novel Approach Methods (NAMs) to streamline risk assessment and predict human hazards without relying on animal testing. A critical aspect of advancing NAMs is the urgent need to replace animal-derived products in assay protocols. Incorporating human or synthetic alternatives can significantly reduce the ethical burden of animal use while enhancing the relevance of toxicity testing. This study evaluates the impact of removing animal-derived products from standard acellular and in vitro assays recommended in a published Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for inhaled NMs. We specifically assessed the effects of replacing fetal bovine serum with human platelet lysate in acellular reactivity tests and in vitro toxicity testing using a panel of well-characterized NMs. Significant differences in acellular NM reactivity and dramatic changes in A549 cell growth rates and responses to NMs were observed under different media conditions. Our findings demonstrate that

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.