Short-term assays

Early studies on the effects of dinoflagellate toxins were made by culturing dinoflagellates in vessels, and then placing fish in water taken from these cultures (Gates Wilson 1960 Ray Aldrich 1967 Sievers 1969). Although an ecologically unrealistic approach for most systems and species, these experiments are 

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L. Tomatis. "Long-term and Short-term Assays for Carcinogens, lARC Monographs Supplement 2, Lyon, France, 1980. 

Klopman G, Contreras R, Rosenkranz HS, et al. 1985. Stmcture-genotoxic activity relationships of pesticides Comparison of the results from several short-term assays. Mutat Res 147 343-356. 

Ehling, U.H., Chu, E.H.Y., DeCarli, L., Evans, H.J., Hayashi, M., Lambert, B., Neubert, D., Thilly, W.G. and Vainio, H. (1986). Report 8. Assays for germ-cell mutations in mammals. In Long-term and Short-term Assays for Carcinogens. (Montesano, R., Bartsch, H., Vainio, H., Wilboum, J. and Yamasaki, H., Eds.). A Critical Appraisal. IARC Scientific Publications, No. 83, Lyon, pp. 245-265. 

Voogd CE, Knaap AGAC, Van Der Heijden CA, et al. 1982. Genotoxicity of methyl bromide in short-term assay systems [Abstract]. Mutat Res 97 233. 

In a number of short-term assays, DMF was not mutagenic or genotoxic. Inconsistent results have been reported in human in vivo studies for sister chromatid exchange and chromosomal aberration frequencies. ... 

IARC (1989) statement that, with respect to results from any one specific short-term assay, The relative potency of agents in tests for mutagenicity and related effects is not a reliable indicator of carcinogenic potency. ... 

For a critical appraisal of long-term and short-term assays, see, for example, WHO (1985a, 1985b) and Montesano et al. (1986). For discussions of their use in characterizing the cancer risk of POM, see, for example, in addition to the IARC Reports (1983,1987, 1989) and the U.S. DHHS 8th Report on Carcinogens, Summary (U.S. DHHS, 1998), articles by Lewtas (1993a, 1993b, 1994), Nielsen et al. (1996), and Collins et al. (1998) and references therein. 

Montesano, R., H. Bartsch, H. Vainio, J. Wilbourn, and H. Yamasaki, Eds., Long-Term and Short-Term. Assays for Carcinogenesis—A Critical Appraisal (IARC Scientific Publications No. 83), International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1986. 

Thompson, E D. Hiles, R.A. (1981) A method for determining the maximum tolerated dose for in vivo cytogenetic analysis. Food Cosmet. Toxicol, 19, 347-351 Thompson, E.D., Coppinger, W.J., Piper, C.E., McCarroll, N., Oberly, T.J. Robinson, D. (1981) Mutageiucity of alkyl glycidyl ethers in three short-term assays. Mutat. Res., 90, 213-231... 

Kawachi. T.. Yahagi, T., Kada, T., Tazima, Y, Ishidate, M.. Sasaki. M. Sugiyama. T. (1980) Cooperative programme on short-term assays for carcinogenicity in Japan. In Montesano. R., Bartsch, H. Tomatis, L., eds, Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Carcinogen Screening Tests (lARC Scientific Publications No. 27), Lyon, lARC, pp. 323-330... 

Schmezer P, Pool BL, Komitowski D, et al. 1988. Various short-term assays and two long-term studies with the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in the Syrian golden hamster. Carcinogenesis 9(l) 37-43. 

Le Curieux F, Marzin D, Erb F. 1993. Comparison of three short-term assays results on seven chemicals Potential contribution to the control of water genotoxicity. Mutat Res 319 223-236. 

The scope of the toxicity studies when surrogate molecules have been used includes pharmacology studies, subchronic and chronic studies, reproductive toxicity studies, immunotoxicity studies, and even carcinogenicity studies. Short-term assays like safety pharmacology studies are too short for there to be an antisense effect, so we have not used the surrogate approach in these assays. However, when safety pharmacology endpoints are included in subchronic or chronic studies, surrogates are assessed. 

STAMMATI A, BONSI P, ZUCCO F, MOEZELAAR R, ALAKOMI H-L and VON WRIGHT A (1999), Toxicity of selected plant volatiles in microbial andmammalian short-term assays. Food Chem. Toxicol. 37, 813-823. 

An important problem in determining nutrient requirements and optimum diet is the definition of the criteria of health that must be met. Often relatively short-term assays of requirements based on weight gain, morbidity, and mortality, or the incidences of morphological or biochemical lesions are used as indices to establish optimum nutrition. However, if the subhuman primates are to be used effectively as a model for human nutrition, then we should consider studies into optimum nutrition for a long and vigorous life. 

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