In vitro toxicology

In vitro toxicology is the scientific analysis of the effects of toxic chemical substances on cultured bacteria or mammalian cells. In vitro (literally 'in glass') testing methods are employed primarily to identify potentially hazardous chemicals and/or to confirm the lack of certain toxic properties in the early stages of the development of potentially useful new substances such as therapeutic drugs, agricultural chemicals and direct food additives. Most toxicologists believe that in vitro toxicity testing methods can be a useful, time and cost-effective supplement to toxicology studies in living animals (which are termed in vivo or "in life" methods). However, it is generally accepted that the available in vitro tests are not presently adequate to entirely replace animal toxicology tests.

In vitro assays for xenobiotic toxicity are recently carefully considered by key government agencies (e.g. EPA; NIEHS/NTP; FDA), mainly due to a societal movement to reduce the use of animals in research, and a desire to better assess human risks. There are substantial activities in using in vitro systems to advance mechanistic understanding of toxicant activities, and the use of human cells and tissue to define human-specific toxic effects.