Abstract |
Many toxicologists in academic, industrial and governmental sectors consider in vitro (i.e. cell and tissue culture) alternatives to animal toxicity testing as inevitable given the sheer volume of new chemicals and the time and cost confines of conventional methodologies. For Neurotoxicologists, in vitro systems ranging from tumor cell lines (i.e., neuroblastomas, gliomas, and pheochromocytomas) to organotypic explants provide rapid, inexpensive models for either screening putative neurotoxicants or addressing their mechanisms(s) of action. Ideally, a variety of methodologies are available to the investigator, since no single technique will be able to detect all possible neurotoxic and-points. Assuming the accessibility, a chemical's toxic potential can best be addressed using a tier approach in which neurotoxic assessment progresses from the simple, inexpensive and less specific assay (e.g., cell lines) to the more complex, technically demanding and definitive assay (e.g., tissue explant). |