The advantage of using terrestrial isopods in toxicity studies is that a battery of parameters can be tested at different levels of biological complexity. Feeding parameters for example link organism level response to potential ecological consequences but a problem with using feeding parameters in toxicity tests with terrestrial isopods is their high variability. The aim of our study was to set...

The Cry1Ia12 entomotoxin from a Brazilian Bacillus thuringiensis strain is currently being expressed in cotton cultivars to confer resistance to insect-pests. The present study aimed to assess the effects of a diet containing Cry1Ia12 protein on growing rats. A test diet containing egg white and Cry1Ia12 (0.1% of total protein) as a protein source was offered to rats for ten days. In addition, ...

In 2007, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released a report, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy, that envisions a not-so-distant future in which virtually all routine toxicity testing would be conducted in human cells or cell lines in vitro by evaluating cellular responses in a suite of toxicity pathway assays using high-throughput tests, that could be implemente...

Several laboratory methods for studying sublethal effects of chemicals on organisms have been developed in recent years. One of the aims of such tests is to identify whether use in the field will result in unacceptable ecological damage to non-target species. Most tests have been developed for single species, but at present, very few are required by law before a product can be released onto the...

Studies of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) have long been recognized as important in the evaluation of the pharmacological efficacy of pharmaceutical agents. In recent years, the importance of ADME studies in toxicology also has become increasingly apparent. In realization of the importance of ADME studies, regulatory agencies have established guidelines governing t...

Concerns, legislation and research needs have precipitated developments such as the mode of action concept, the Tox21 strategy, the concept of pathways of toxicity and the adverse outcome pathway framework. New technologies and paradigms are currently transforming these concepts into applicable animal-free toxicity testing systems. The adverse outcome pathway framework provides a structure for ...

Numerous functions of ecosystems are essential to the quality of human life, including the provision of food, the decomposition of sewage, the provision of portable water, and the replacement of breathable air. Although attributes of ecosystems directly of use to human societies are not the only ones worth protecting, emphasizing their services may be the most effective means of communicating r...

BACKGROUND The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is facing large challenges in managing environmental chemicals with increasingly complex requirements for assessing risk that push the limits of our current approaches. To address some of these challenges, the National Research Council (NRC) developed a new vision for toxicity testing. Although the report focused only on toxicity testing, it r...

Aquatic toxicity tests with substances that are poorly soluble in water have been conducted using different methods, and estimates of toxicity have varied accordingly. The present study illustrates differences in toxicity values resulting from variation in test designs and solution preparation methods, and offers guidance on the best way to conduct these tests. Consequences for environmental ri...