NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods
Integrated Chemical Environment adds formulations viewer
A March update to the NICEATM Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) added a formulations viewer that allows users to explore toxicity data on pesticide formulations and their active ingredients. ICE currently includes data from six-pack studies on almost 700 formulations that were submitted for pesticide registration: skin sensitization, skin and eye irritation, and acute oral, dermal, and inhalation systemic toxicity. Active ingredient lists from the formulations can be used to query the ICE Integrator for data on these substances from other in vivo and in vitro assays.
The recent ICE release also updated and expanded physicochemical property predictions, updated androgen and estrogen pathway model predictions, and improved filtering on assay endpoints. Additional future updates to ICE include interactive workflows for predicting physicochemical property data, chemical use category information, and in vitro to in vivo extrapolation predictions.
Papers describe analysis of defined approaches for skin sensitization testing
A collaboration between NICEATM and Cosmetics Europe has produced two papers describing important resources for non-animal approaches to identifying potential skin sensitizers. Both papers were published February 23 in Critical Reviews in Toxicology and are available to all readers regardless of subscription status.
- Hoffmann et al. 2018. Non-animal methods to predict skin sensitization (I): the Cosmetics Europe database. Crit Rev Toxicol https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408444.2018.1429385
This paper describes a database with data for 128 chemicals from human, animal, and five non-animal tests. The chemicals in the database represent a wide variety of chemistries and use categories. The database is proposed as a point of reference for the evaluation and development of new non-animal testing strategies.
- Kleinstreuer et al. 2018. Non-animal methods to predict skin sensitization (II): the Cosmetics Europe database. Crit Rev Toxicol https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408444.2018.1429386
This paper describes an analysis of multiple defined approaches for skin sensitization safety assessment of chemicals using the Cosmetics Europe database described above. Many of these approaches were found to perform as well or better than animal methods for predicting human skin sensitization hazard and potency.