• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.10 no.3_4
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• pp.1-5
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• 1995

The general toxicological study of new platinum(II) compounds, KHPC-002, KHPC-005 and KHPC-006 were investigated in rats. The effects of these Pt(II) complexes on renal, hematopoietic and hepatic system in rats showed lower toxicity compared with cisplatin. In the consideration of the maximal dose of these Pt(II) complexes using in this experiment is 4-8 times higher than cisplatin, these novel compounds will have the less general toxicity in vivo.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.143-150
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• 2019

To evaluate the toxicity of ophthalmic drug, the Draize test and Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) test commonly used. In Draize test, experimental animals were under stress and pain due to long-term exposure of drug. In addition, regarding physiological functions, animal model is not perfectly reflected a human eye condition. Although some models such as $EpiOcular^{TM}$, HCE model, LabCyte Cornea-Model, and MCTT $HCE^{TM}$ were already presented advanced cornea ex-vivo model to replace animal test. In this sense, cornea tissue structure mimicked ex-vivo toxicity model was fabricated in this study. The corneal epithelial cells (CECs) and keratocytes (CKs) isolated from rabbit eyeball were seeded on non-patterned silk film (n-pSF) and patterned silk film (pSF) at $32,500cells/cm^2$ and $6,500cells/cm^2$. Sequentially, n-pSF and pSF were stacked to mimic a multi-layered stroma structure. The thickness of films was about $15.63{\mu}m$ and the distance of patterns was about $3{\mu}m$. H&E stain was performed to confirm the cell proliferation on silk film. F-actin of CKs was also stained with Phalloidin to observe the cytoskeletal alignment along with patterns of the pSF. In the results, CECs and CKs were shown the good cell attachment on the n-pSF and pSFs. Proliferated cells expressed the specific phenotype of cornea epithelium and stroma. In conclusion, we successfully established the ex-vivo cornea toxicity model to replace the eye irritation tests. In further study, we will set up the human ex-vivo cornea toxicity model and then will evaluate the drug screening efficacy.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2005

Polysaccharide hydrogels constitute a structurally diverse class of biological macromolecules with a wide range of physicochemical properties. They also constitute important members of the family of industrial water-soluble polymers. They find application in Pharmacy as binders, disintegrants, suspending, emulsifying and sustaining agents. According to the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC), an excipient must have an established safety profile. Hence, in the present study, in vitro cytotoxicity on Vero and HEp-2 cell lines, and in vivo acute toxicity in rats were carried out to establish the safety of polysaccharide hydrogels from the seeds of Plantago ovata and Ocimum basilicum. The in vitro cytotoxicity was determined by MTT and SRB assays. In the in vivo acute toxicity, the effects of three different doses of hydrogels (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) on food and water intake, body weight, biochemical and hematological parameters were studied. The results of in vitro did not show any cytotoxicity on both the cell lines used. In the in vivo acute toxicity, the hydrogels did not show any toxic symptoms in all three dose levels. This establishes the safety of the selected hydrogels. Hence, they can be used as excipients in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.7.1-7.7
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• 2015

Objectives The widely promising applications of graphene nanomaterials raise considerable concerns regarding their environmental and human health risk assessment. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the toxicity profiling of graphene family nanano-materials (GFNs) in alternative in vitro and in vivo toxicity testing models. Methods The GFNs used in this study are graphene nanoplatelets ([GNPs]-pristine, carboxylate [COOH] and amide [$NH_2$]) and graphene oxides (single layer [SLGO] and few layers [FLGO]). The human bronchial epithelial cells (Beas2B cells) as in vitro system and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as in vivo system were used to profile the toxicity response of GFNs. Cytotoxicity assays, colony formation assay for cellular toxicity and reproduction potentiality in C. elegans were used as end points to evaluate the GFNs' toxicity. Results In general, GNPs exhibited higher toxicity than GOs in Beas2B cells, and among the GNPs the order of toxicity was pristine > $NH_2$ > COOH. Although the order of toxicity of the GNPs was maintained in C. elegans reproductive toxicity, but GOs were found to be more toxic in the worms than GNPs. In both systems, SLGO exhibited profoundly greater dose dependency than FLGO. The possible reason of their differential toxicity lay in their distinctive physicochemical characteristics and agglomeration behavior in the exposure media. Conclusions The present study revealed that the toxicity of GFNs is dependent on the graphene nanomaterial's physical forms, surface functionalizations, number of layers, dose, time of exposure and obviously, on the alternative model systems used for toxicity assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) stand at the frontier of nanotechnology and are destined to stimulate the next industrial revolution. Rapid increase in their production and use in the technology industry have led to concerns over the effects of CNT on human health and the environment. The prominent use of CNTs in biomedical applications also increases the possibility of human exposure, while properties such as their high aspect ratio (fiber-like shape) and large surface area raise safety concerns for human health if exposure does occur. It is crucial to develop viable alternatives to in vivo tests in order to evaluate the toxicity of engineered CNTs and develop validated experimental models capable of identifying CNTs' toxic effects and predicting their level of toxicity in the human respiratory system. Human lung epithelial cells serve as a barrier at the interface between the surrounding air and lung tissues in response to exogenous particles such as air-pollutants, including CNTs. Monolayer culture of the key individual cell types has provided abundant fundamental information on the response of these cells to external perturbations. However, such systems are limited by the absence of cell-cell interactions and their dynamic nature, which are both present in vivo. In this review, we suggested two viable alternatives to in vivo tests to evaluate the health risk of human exposure to CNTs.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2017

Purpose: To report the results of a correlation analysis of skin dose assessed by in vivo dosimetry and the incidence of acute toxicity. This is a phase 2 trial evaluating the feasibility of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) as a boost for breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Eligible patients were treated with IORT of 20 Gy followed by whole breast irradiation (WBI) of 46 Gy. A total of 55 patients with a minimum follow-up of 1 month after WBI were evaluated. Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter (OSLD) detected radiation dose delivered to the skin during IORT. Acute toxicity was recorded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0. Clinical parameters were correlated with seroma formation and maximum skin dose. Results: Median follow-up after IORT was 25.9 weeks (range, 12.7 to 50.3 weeks). Prior to WBI, only one patient developed acute toxicity. Following WBI, 30 patients experienced grade 1 skin toxicity and three patients had grade 2 skin toxicity. Skin dose during IORT exceeded 5 Gy in two patients: with grade 2 complications around the surgical scar in one patient who received 8.42 Gy. Breast volume on preoperative images (p = 0.001), ratio of applicator diameter and breast volume (p = 0.002), and distance between skin and tumor (p = 0.003) showed significant correlations with maximum skin dose. Conclusions: IORT as a boost was well-tolerated among Korean women without severe acute complication. In vivo dosimetry with OSLD can help ensure safe delivery of IORT as a boost.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1499-1506
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• 2016

Background: Crocus sativus and its major constituent crocin are well established to have anti-cancer properties in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). However the role of C. sativus extract (CSE) and crocin on caspase signaling mediated MCF-7 cell death at molecular level is remains unclear. In this study, we tried to unravel role of CSE and crocin on caspase mediated MCF-7 cells death and their in vivo preclinical toxicity profiling and immune stimulatory effect. Materials and Methods: CSE extract was fractionated by HPLC and crocin was isolated and characterized by NMR, IR, and MS. MCF-7 cells were treated with both CSE and crocin and expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was assessed after 24 and 36 hours. Furthermore, caspase 3, caspase 8 and caspase 9 expression was determined by Western blotting after 24 hours of treatment. DNA fragmentation analysis was performed for genotoxicity of CSE and crocin in MCF-7 cells. The in vivo toxicity profile of CSE (300 mg/kg of b.wt) was investigated in normal Swiss albino mice. In addition, peritoneal macrophages were collected from crocin (1, 1.5 and 2 mg/kg body weight) treated mice and analyzed for ex vivo yeast phagocytosis. Results: Immunoblot analysis revealed that there was time dependent decline in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 with simultaneous upregulation of Bax in CSE and crocin treated MCF-7 cells. Further CSE and crocin treatment downregulated caspase 8 and 9 and cleaved the caspase 3 after 24 hours. Both CSE and crocin elicited considerable DNA damage in MCF-7 cells at each concentration tested. In vivo toxicity profile by histological studies revealed no observable histopathologic differences in the liver, kidney, spleen, lungs and heart in CSE treated and untreated groups. Crocin treatment elicited significant dose and time dependent ex vivo yeast phagocytosis by peritoneal macrophages. Conclusions: Our study delineated involvement of pro-apoptotic and caspase mediated MCF-7 cell death by CSE and crocin at the molecular level accompanied with extensive DNA damage. Further we found that normal swiss albino mice can tolerate the maximum dose of CSE. Crocin enhanced ex vivo macrophage yeast phagocytic ability.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2003

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the toxicity of the thimerosal in embryos and neonates. Thimerosal (also known as mercurothiolate) is a mercury-containing compound used in trace amounts to prevent bacteria and other organisms from contaminating vaccines, especially in opened multi-dose vials. The toxicity of mercury is well known and those most at risk occurrs in unborn babies and newborn babies. Test methods included in vitro whole embryo culture (WEC) system and in vivo test of neonatal toxicity in Wistar rats. Ethylmercury and methylmercury were used as positive controls for the evaluating of toxic effects of mercury. In WEC assay, treated concentrations of thimerosal, ethylmercury and methylmercury were up to 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$\textrm{m}{\ell}$, respectively. All compounds didn't show any morphological abnormalities, but showed retardation of growth and development in dose dependent manner (> 0.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$\textrm{m}{\ell}$). These data indicated that thimerosal showed developmental toxicity in vitro. In vivo neonatal toxicity, Wistar rats were administered subcutaneously with thimerosal, ethyl mercury, or methylmercury (5, 25, 50, 250, and 500 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg) during from postnatal day (PND) 4 to 25. Significant effects of these compounds on relative organ weights and organ morphology were not observed in this experiment. However, accumulation of mercury was detected in the kidney and testis when treated with thimerosal, ethylmercury, or methylmercury. These results suggest that thimerosal may be a harmful compound to embryo and neonate, but used concentration of thimerosal in these experiments is much higher than that of clinical application. Further investigation is needed on the safety of vaccine components, i.e. a thimerosal using in vitro and in vivo tests in the future.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.252-260
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• 2007

As it is needed to assay possible feasibility of extrapolation between in vivo and in vitro systems and to develop a new in vitro method for toxicity testing, we investigated global gene expression from both animal and cell line treated with thioacetamide (TAA) and compared between in vivo and in vitro genomic profiles. For in vivo study, mice were orally treated with TAA and sacrificed at 6 and 24 h. For in vitro study, TAA was administered to a mouse hepatic cell line, BNL CL.2 and sampling was carried out at 6 and 24 h. Hepatotoxicity was assessed by analyzing hepatic enzymes and histopathological examination (in vivo) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and morphological examination (in vitro). Global gene expression was assessed using microarray. In high dose TAA-treated group, there was centrilobular necrosis (in vivo) and cellular toxicity with an elevation of LDH (in vitro) at 24 h. Statistical analysis of global gene expression identified that there were similar numbers of altered genes found between in vivo and in vitro at each time points. Pathway analysis identified several common pathways existed between in vivo and in vitro system such as glutathione metabolism, bile acid biosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, butanoate metabolism for hepatotoxicty caused by TAA. Our results suggest it may be feasible to develop toxicogenomics biomarkers by comparing in vivo and in vitro genomic profiles specific to TAA for application to prediction of liver toxicity.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2015

We previously identified Streptomyces griseus as an anti-cancer agent (Kim et al., 2014). In this study, we isolated compounds from S. griseus and evaluated their anticancer effect and toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Preparative centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) was used to obtain three compounds, cyclo($_{\small{L}}$-[4-hydroxyprolinyl]-$_{\small{L}}$-leucine], cyclo($_{\small{L}}$-Phe-trans-4-hydroxy-$_{\small{L}}$-Pro) and phenethyl acetate (PA). We chose PA, which had the highest anticancer activity, as a target compound for further experiments. PA induced the formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation, DNA accumulation in $G_0/G_1$ phase, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Furthermore, PA treatment increased Bax/Bcl-xL expression, activated caspase-3, and cleaved poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) in HL-60 cells. Simultaneous evaluation in vitro and in vivo, revealed that PA exhibited no toxicity in Vero cells and zebrafish embryos. We revealed, for the first time, that PA generates ROS, and that this ROS accumulation induced the Bcl signaling pathway.