PUBLICATION

Use of non-mammalian alternative models for neurotoxicological study

Authors
Peterson, R.T., Nass, R., Boyd, W.A., Freedman, J.H., Dong, K., and Narahashi, T.
ID
ZDB-PUB-080616-13
Date
2008
Source
Neurotoxicology   29(3): 545-554 (Review)
Registered Authors
Peterson, Randall
Keywords
C. elegans, Parkinson's, Zebrafish, Neurotoxicological studies, Insects, Insecticides
MeSH Terms
  • Animal Testing Alternatives*
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans
  • Chloride Channels/drug effects
  • Environmental Pollutants/toxicity
  • Glutamic Acid/physiology
  • Insecta
  • Insecticides/toxicity
  • Manganese Poisoning/psychology
  • Nervous System Diseases/pathology*
  • Pyrethrins/toxicity
  • Sodium Channels/drug effects
  • Toxicology/methods*
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
18538410 Full text @ Neurotoxicology
Abstract
The field of neurotoxicology needs to satisfy two opposing demands: the testing of a growing list of chemicals, and resource limitations and ethical concerns associated with testing using traditional mammalian species. National and international government agencies have defined a need to reduce, refine or replace mammalian species in toxicological testing with alternative testing methods and non-mammalian models. Toxicological assays using alternative animal models may relieve some of this pressure by allowing testing of more compounds while reducing expense and using fewer mammals. Recent advances in genetic technologies and the strong conservation between human and non-mammalian genomes allow for the dissection of the molecular pathways involved in neurotoxicological responses and neurological diseases using genetically tractable organisms. In this review, applications of four non-mammalian species, zebrafish, cockroach, Drosophila, and Caenorhabditis elegans, in the investigation of neurotoxicology and neurological diseases are presented.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping