The Uses of Stem Cells in Toxicology Studies

Stem cells are currently being used in drug/toxicity screenings, investigation of disease pathways and mechanistic studies such as developmental toxicity. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can be obtained by manipulation of pluripotency genes from differentiated, mature and specialized cells, and thus the toxicity caused by environmental exposure can be determined, as well as reflecting the genetic structure of the individual. Pathways underlying disease and toxicity conditions can be illuminated by identifying genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic patterns of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and iPSC extensively. Although technological challenges and ethical restrictions prevent common use, the use of human stem cell-based systems in drug discovery and toxicity studies allows reducing cost and experimental animal use, making safer personalized medicine and more accurate risk assessments for environmental toxicants. In this review, the use of stem cells in toxicology studies has been mentioned