Humanising nanotoxicology : replacement of animal-derived products in the application of integrated approaches to testing and assessment of nanomaterial inhalation hazard
Fraser, Roma and Campbell, Keira and Pokorski, Pawel and Mackinnon, Eve and McAllister, Katie and Neves, Karla B. and Murphy, Fiona (2025) Humanising nanotoxicology : replacement of animal-derived products in the application of integrated approaches to testing and assessment of nanomaterial inhalation hazard. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 13. 1526808. ISSN 2296-4185 (https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1526808)
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Abstract
Over the past decade, the development of nanomaterials (NMs) has surged, highlighting their potential benefits across multiple industries. However, concerns regarding human and environmental exposure remain significant. Traditional in vivo models for safety assessments are increasingly viewed as unfeasible and unethical due to the diverse forms and biological effects of NMs. This has prompted the design of Novel Approach Methods (NAMs) to streamline risk assessment and predict human hazards without relying on animal testing. A critical aspect of advancing NAMs is the urgent need to replace animal-derived products in assay protocols. Incorporating human or synthetic alternatives can significantly reduce the ethical burden of animal use while enhancing the relevance of toxicity testing. This study evaluates the impact of removing animal-derived products from standard acellular and in vitro assays recommended in a published Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) for inhaled NMs. We specifically assessed the effects of replacing fetal bovine serum with human platelet lysate in acellular reactivity tests and in vitro toxicity testing using a panel of well-characterized NMs. Significant differences in acellular NM reactivity and dramatic changes in A549 cell growth rates and responses to NMs were observed under different media conditions. Our findings demonstrate that variations in experimental setup can fundamentally impact NM hazard assessment, influencing the interpretation of results within specific assays and across tiered testing strategies. Further investigation is needed to support a shift toward more ethical toxicity testing that does not rely on animal-derived materials.
ORCID iDs
Fraser, Roma, Campbell, Keira, Pokorski, Pawel, Mackinnon, Eve, McAllister, Katie, Neves, Karla B.

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Item type: Article ID code: 92094 Dates: DateEvent12 February 2025Published23 January 2025AcceptedSubjects: Technology > Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) > Bioengineering Department: Faculty of Science > Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 18 Feb 2025 12:53 Last modified: 12 Mar 2025 09:05 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/92094