Here we report a new planarian (Dugesia lugubris) fluorescent assay as a rapid and cheap pre-screening tool to predict strong skin irritants. Our aim was to provide a simple and cost-effective in vivo method that avoided use of higher vertebrates. Adapting previously reported methods for planaria mobility alongside an acute toxicity assay, different irritants at five concentrations (0.1%, 0.05%, 0.025%, 0.01% and 0.005% w/v) were tested but both methods failed to discriminate the irritation potential of the test compounds. Therefore, a new alternative fluorescence assay was developed, hypothesising that increasing damage from the irritant to the planarian outer protective membrane will increase accumulation of sodium fluorescein in the flatworm. Fourteen test chemicals were selected representing strong, moderate, mild and non-irritants. In general, results showed increasing sodium fluorescein accumulation within planaria following acute exposure to increasingly strong skin irritants; on exposure to the strong irritants, benzalkonium chloride, citronellal, methyl palmitate, 1-bromohexane and carvacrol, fluorescence within the planaria was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the negative controls and the common non-irritants PEG-400, dipropylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol; fluorescence values of planaria tested with negative controls and non-irritants were not significantly different. For all test compounds, Fluorescence Intensity of the planaria was compared with literature Primary Irritation Index data and generated a statistically significant (P < 0.005) Pearson correlation (r) of 0.87. Thus, the planarian fluorescent assay is a promising tool for rapid early testing of potential strong skin irritants, and non-irritants, and avoids use of higher vertebrate models.

在这里，我们报告了一种新的涡虫 ( Dugesia lugubris ) 荧光测定法，它是一种快速且廉价的预筛选工具，可预测强烈的皮肤刺激物。我们的目标是提供一种简单且具有成本效益的体内方法，避免使用高等脊椎动物。适应先前报道的涡虫流动性方法以及急性毒性测定，五种浓度的不同刺激物（0.1%、0.05%、0.025%、0.01% 和 0.005% w / v) 进行了测试，但两种方法都无法区分测试化合物的刺激潜力。因此，开发了一种新的替代荧光测定，假设刺激物对涡虫外保护膜的损伤增加会增加扁虫中荧光素钠的积累。选择了代表强、中、温和和无刺激性的十四种测试化学品。总的来说，结果表明，在急性暴露于越来越强烈的皮肤刺激物后，涡虫体内荧光素钠的积累增加；接触强刺激物苯扎氯铵、香茅醛、棕榈酸甲酯、1-溴己烷和香芹酚后，涡虫内的荧光显着增强（P < 0.05) 比阴性对照和常见的无刺激性 PEG-400、二丙二醇和异丙醇；用阴性对照和非刺激物测试的涡虫的荧光值没有显着差异。对于所有测试化合物，涡虫的荧光强度与文献初级刺激指数数据进行了比较，并产生了 0.87的统计学显着性 ( P < 0.005) Pearson 相关性 (r)。因此，涡虫荧光检测是一种有前途的工具，可用于快速早期测试潜在的强皮肤刺激物和非刺激物，并避免使用高等脊椎动物模型。