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Reproductive Toxicity

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In Vitro Toxicology Systems

Part of the book series: Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology ((MIPT))

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Abstract

The physiology of the reproductive cycle is extremely complex due to the several cell types, somatic and germ cells, that are present in the different organs and due to the finely regulated mechanisms that interact not only within reproductive tissues but also in concert with an upper regulatory and feedback control system at the level of the central nervous system. During lifetime, reproductive physiology changes dramatically, both in male and in female sex, passing from a relatively inert prepuberal stage to hormonally driven puberty entering the fertile period of life. Regular female reproductive cyclicity is interrupted by pregnancy establishment and by the development of the conceptus that become the most sensitive targets for potential environmental insults and second-generation effects. Therefore the design of relevant and reliable alternative tests capable of measuring and predicting adverse effects on the multitude of reproductive functions in the different cells/organs is an enormous task technically and scientifically.

This chapter provides an overview of the available alternative tests for reproductive toxicity, in relation to the present regulatory framework and with more emphasis on those tests and results that have been developed and obtained within international research initiatives. Tests specifically designed for detecting endocrine effects are described in more detail in another chapter of this book.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Avantea, Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies, AVANTEA srl, Via Porcellasco 7/F, 26100, Cremona, Italy

    Giovanna Lazzari & Cesare Galli

  2. Fondazione Avantea, Cremona, Italy

    Giovanna Lazzari & Cesare Galli

  3. Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Cesare Galli

Authors
  1. Giovanna Lazzari
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  2. Cesare Galli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanna Lazzari .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Varese, Italy

    Anna Bal-Price

  2. Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria

    Paul Jennings

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Lazzari, G., Galli, C. (2014). Reproductive Toxicity. In: Bal-Price, A., Jennings, P. (eds) In Vitro Toxicology Systems. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0521-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0521-8_12

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0520-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0521-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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