New Approach Methodologies in Immunotoxicology: Challenges and Opportunities

Title:New Approach Methodologies in Immunotoxicology: Challenges and Opportunities

Volume: 23 Issue: 14

Author(s): Ambra Maddalon, Martina Iulini, Gloria Melzi, Emanuela Corsini*Valentina Galbiati

Affiliation:

• Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

Abstract:

To maintain the integrity of an organism, a well-functioning immune system is essential. Immunity is dynamic, with constant surveillance needed to determine whether to initiate an immune response or to not respond. Both inappropriate immunostimulation and decreased immune response can be harmful to the host. A reduced immune response can lead to high susceptibility to cancer or infections, whereas an increased immune response can be related to autoimmunity or hypersensitivity reactions. Animal testing has been the gold standard for hazard assessment in immunotoxicity but a lot of efforts are ongoing to develop non-animal-based test systems, and important successes have been achieved. The term “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) refer to the approaches which are not based on animal models. They are applied in hazard and risk assessment of chemicals and include approaches such as defined approaches for data interpretation and integrated approaches to testing and assessment.

This review aims to summarize the available NAMs for immunotoxicity assessment, taking into consideration both inappropriate immunostimulation and immunosuppression, including implication for cancer development.

Cite this article as:

Maddalon Ambra, Iulini Martina, Melzi Gloria, Corsini Emanuela*, Galbiati Valentina, New Approach Methodologies in Immunotoxicology: Challenges and Opportunities, Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets 2023; 23 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871530323666230413081128