Evaluation of in vitro cornea models for quantifying destructive effects of chemicals

In vitro models are available as alternatives for the Draize eye irritation test. However, most of the alternative models are not quantitative nor designed to evaluate the effects of chemicals on the corneal barrier such as those encountered in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The objective of the present study was to investigate tissue electrical resistance to provide sensitive in vitro testing of tissue alteration caused by chemicals in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations as a potential eye irritation testing approach. The experimental protocols for effective tissue resistance measurements were examined using two in vitro eye models: porcine cornea and EpiCorneal. In these models, a test chemical was applied to the cornea or EpiCorneal tissue for 1 min, and tissue resistances/conductances were measured at 1-60 min after the application. The changes in conductance of the tissues after exposure to the chemicals were shown to provide quantitative evaluations to the influence of the chemicals. A correlation was found between the two in vitro models. The results suggest that these models can provide quantitative in vitro assessments of eye-irritating chemicals.