Using the HET-CAM test in determining the eye irritation potential of some pesticides

Abstract

Before being registered, pesticides must pass a number of toxicological tests. Examining the potential for eye irritation is one of these tests. The Draize test (in vivo), which covers the full irritation potential, is one of the most criticized methods due to the harm done to the test animals. To replace in vivo testing for eye irritation, a number of in vitro techniques, such as the hen's egg test–chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM), have been utilized to examine the toxicity of suspected irritants. In the HET-CAM test, pesticides are applied directly to the hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane, and the incidence of lysis, haemorrhage, or coagulation in response to the pesticide is observed for 5 minutes. In our study, a group of four pesticides were subjected to screening in order to establish in vitro data (HET-CAM) and compare with already established in vivo (Draize) findings. The findings showed a significant correlation of 75% between the HET-CAM and the in vivo United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UN GHS) classification of the pesticides, and a 25% overprediction by the HET-CAM as compared to the in vivo data. The HET-CAM test can be said to be a good tool for examining the possible eye irritation potential of pesticides, which can be suggested as a component of a series of experiments meant to lessen the use of mammals as test subjects and alleviate or completely do away with the sufferings that experimental animals endure.