Skin Irritation

AAL can perform ECVAM compliant procedures for skin irritation analysis. Tissues used in this test take 3 weeks to grow so clients interested in skin irritation testing must contact AAL to schedule their testing. In vitro skin irritation testing is accomplished through manufactured skin tissue derived from normal human cells. AAL, Inc. uses EpiDerm Skin Model tissue from MatTek Corporation to perform skin irritation testing. Skin irritation testing using MatTek Corp. tissues has been fully validated by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) and awaits FDA approval in the US.

Animal Testing Alternative
The traditional in vivo test for skin irritation testing is considered cruel by many people, and it involves the killing of a rabbit or other animal. In addition, the validity of these tests is questioned by the fact that animal reactions do not always correlate to human reactions. Although the use of animal testing is decreasing, the FDA still supports testing due to the lack of any accepted replacement tests. Alternative methods to live animal testing for skin irritation are still awaiting FDA review and approval.

Procedure Summary

Test substances are topically applied to reconstructed human epidermis tissue that has been carefully grown and prepared. After exposure the tissues are incubated in preparation for the MTT viability assay. All test substances with viability less than 50% relative to the negative control are irritant substances. The entire procedure takes 3 days from the day tissues are received.

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