The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing is an academic center affiliated with the Division of Toxicological Sciences in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Research Grants 1983-1984

An In Vitro Alternative to the Draize Test

Kwan Y. Chan, PhD
University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington

Problem

The researcher proposes to develop an in vitro alternative to the Draize rabbit eye test by using rabbit corneal epithelial cells. The cells will be isolated and grown as primary cultures using techniques previously established in Dr. Chan's laboratory.

The production and release of plasminogen activator (PA), considered a biochemical correlate of injury by these corneal epithelial cells, will be determined during normal growth and after a short exposure to selected chemicals.

The data will be used to optimize the protocol for in vitro toxicity testing. It will be based on measuring the PA level resulting from chemical exposure and during a recovery period.

Seven chemicals representing a broad range of ocular irritants will be ranked according to the PA index and compared to the ranking order according to the Draize test reported by other investigators. Human data from the literature will also be used for comparison.

Impact of the Research

This method emphasizes the use of microcultures and the study of dose-response relationships. The usefulness and limitation of the in vitro test in predicting the chemical hazard to the human eye will be evaluated. The test may eliminate the use of live animals and be suitable for routine screening of hazardous chemicals.