Molecular Markers Associated with Hepatotoxicity: Development of in Vitro Test System Based on Human Cells

Pharmaceutical and, to a lesser degree, most other consumer products are routinely tested for safety. Traditionally preclinical toxicological studies are performed on animals. Metabolism of drugs and toxic compounds in many cases is different in test animals and humans. As a consequence results of toxicological studies in animals can lead to false conclusions and termination of development of drug candidates potentially beneficial to humans and also to continued development of drug candidates that later show to be toxic to humans. This book presents development of an in vitro human cells based test system that is suitable for pre-clinical studies of drugs and assessment of adverse effects of various chemical compounds. The system is based on rotary vessels that simulate growth in microgravity conditions allowing the cells to grow continuously for months and create cell conglomerates that resemble normal liver tissue. Testing of drugs can be performed for hours or weeks/months to follow acute or chronic toxicity respectively.