Abstract
Given the vast number of chemicals that are released into the environment each year, it is imperative that we develop new predictive models to identify toxicants before unavoidable exposure harms the health of humans and other organisms. In vitro models are especially attractive in predictive toxicology as they can greatly reduce assay costs and animal usage while identifying those chemicals that may require further in vivo evaluation. With the derivation of both mouse and human embryonic stem cells, new opportunities have developed that could revolutionize the field of predictive toxicology. Stem cells themselves can be used to model the earliest stages of development, or they can be differentiated to study later aspects of development. Because embryos and fetuses are usually more sensitive to environmental toxicants than adults, stem cells provide an unique tool for studying the prenatal phase in our life cycle. The embryonic stem cell test (EST), which has been validated for use with mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC), is an accurate predictor of embryotoxic compounds, particularly those that are highly embryotoxic. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), although not yet incorporated into a validated test, are a particularly attractive platform for toxicological testing as they can give us direct information on humans and avoid concerns about species variation in response. This review discusses toxicological studies and strategies that have been used with embryonic stem cells during the past five years and possible directions that could lead to improvements in the development of predictive assays in the future.
Keywords: development of predictive assays, fetuses, toxicants, harm reduction cigarettes, cigarette smoke, embryonic stem cell test, drug testing, toxicological testing, predictive toxicology, embryonic stem cells, In vitro assays
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Mouse and Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Can They Improve Human Health by Preventing Disease?
Volume: 11 Issue: 13
Author(s): Sabrina Lin and Prue Talbot
Affiliation:
Keywords: development of predictive assays, fetuses, toxicants, harm reduction cigarettes, cigarette smoke, embryonic stem cell test, drug testing, toxicological testing, predictive toxicology, embryonic stem cells, In vitro assays
Abstract: Given the vast number of chemicals that are released into the environment each year, it is imperative that we develop new predictive models to identify toxicants before unavoidable exposure harms the health of humans and other organisms. In vitro models are especially attractive in predictive toxicology as they can greatly reduce assay costs and animal usage while identifying those chemicals that may require further in vivo evaluation. With the derivation of both mouse and human embryonic stem cells, new opportunities have developed that could revolutionize the field of predictive toxicology. Stem cells themselves can be used to model the earliest stages of development, or they can be differentiated to study later aspects of development. Because embryos and fetuses are usually more sensitive to environmental toxicants than adults, stem cells provide an unique tool for studying the prenatal phase in our life cycle. The embryonic stem cell test (EST), which has been validated for use with mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC), is an accurate predictor of embryotoxic compounds, particularly those that are highly embryotoxic. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), although not yet incorporated into a validated test, are a particularly attractive platform for toxicological testing as they can give us direct information on humans and avoid concerns about species variation in response. This review discusses toxicological studies and strategies that have been used with embryonic stem cells during the past five years and possible directions that could lead to improvements in the development of predictive assays in the future.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Lin Sabrina and Talbot Prue, Mouse and Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Can They Improve Human Health by Preventing Disease?, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2011; 11 (13) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802611796117621
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802611796117621 |
Print ISSN 1568-0266 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4294 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Chemistry Based on Natural Products for Therapeutic Purposes
The development of new pharmaceuticals for a wide range of medical conditions has long relied on the identification of promising natural products (NPs). There are over sixty percent of cancer, infectious illness, and CNS disease medications that include an NP pharmacophore, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Since NP ...read more
Current Trends in Drug Discovery Based on Artificial Intelligence and Computer-Aided Drug Design
Drug development discovery has faced several challenges over the years. In fact, the evolution of classical approaches to modern methods using computational methods, or Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD), has shown promising and essential results in any drug discovery campaign. Among these methods, molecular docking is one of the most notable ...read more
Drug Discovery in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), we have witnessed a significant boom in AI techniques for drug discovery. AI techniques are increasingly integrated and accelerating the drug discovery process. These developments have not only attracted the attention of academia and industry but also raised important questions regarding the selection ...read more
From Biodiversity to Chemical Diversity: Focus of Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the largest group of polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites arising from the essential aromatic amino acid phenylalanine (or more rarely from tyrosine) via the phenylpropanoid pathway. The flavan nucleus is the basic 15-carbon skeleton of flavonoids (C6-C3-C6), which consists of two phenyl rings (A and B) and a heterocyclic ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Diabetic Retinopathy: Mechanistic Insights into High Glucose-Induced Retinal Cell Death
Current Clinical Pharmacology Role of Pharmacotherapy in Cardiac Ion Channelopathies
Current Vascular Pharmacology Post-Transcriptional Control of Selenoprotein Biosynthesis
Current Protein & Peptide Science Leptin and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Current Pharmaceutical Design Gene Replacement Therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors
Current Gene Therapy Calreticulin in the Heart: From Embryological Development to Cardiac Pathology.
Current Molecular Medicine Congenital Parenchymal Lesions of the Lung
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Medical and Dental Implications of Down Syndrome: A Review Part 1: General and Craniofacial Characteristic
Applied Clinical Research, Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs Energetic Metabolic Roles in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Right Ventricular Remodeling
Current Pharmaceutical Design Clinical Management of the Cardiovascular Failure in Sepsis
Current Vascular Pharmacology The Adult Patient with Eisenmenger Syndrome: A Medical Update after Dana Point Part III: Specific Management and Surgical Aspects
Current Cardiology Reviews Unfoldomics of Human Genetic Diseases: Illustrative Examples of Ordered and Intrinsically Disordered Members of the Human Diseasome
Protein & Peptide Letters Therapeutic Approaches to the Challenge of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Children
Current Cardiology Reviews The Development of New Concepts for Assessing Reproductive Toxicity Applicable to Large Scale Toxicological Programmes
Current Pharmaceutical Design Migraine Attack Treatment : A Tailor-made Suit, Not One Size Fits All
Recent Patents on CNS Drug Discovery (Discontinued) The Role of Transforming Growth Factor β1 in the Regulation of Blood Pressure
Current Hypertension Reviews Methylene Blue and Vasoplegia: Who, When, and How?
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry The Two Faces of Iminoalditols: Powerful Inhibitors Trigger Glycosidase Activation
Current Enzyme Inhibition RNAi-based Gene Therapy for Dominant Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophies
Current Gene Therapy