An Approach to Acute, Subacute, Subchronic, and Chronic Toxicity Assessment in Animal Models

Abstract

The safety of pharmacological/chemical agents and food additives has become the main and longest-standing toxicology issue of public interest. Exposure of the public to pharmacological/chemical agents without proper knowledge about their toxicity has ended up in several notable tragedies. Although toxicity profiling of many chemical/pharmacological agents has increased, there are still not enough information on the toxicity of some of the currently used agents. The aim of this paper is to unveil a simple step-wise method by which toxicity test from acute to the chronic level can be carried out in animal models. The procedure involves the usage of two different strains of the test animals at all levels of the test. The method also adopts continuity from the previous level at the next level of assessment. This ensures that same conditions are maintained at all levels of assessment, and therefore, guaranty consistency, accuracy, and reproducibility of the results gotten from the assessment. The method addresses some issues (such as cost and time) which have hindered toxicity assessment of some agents. It can be effectively adopted in developing countries due to its cost-effective nature. It can also serve as a guide for obtaining appreciable toxicity information of traditional medicines.