PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How 'slippers' can end mascara irritation

New test reduces need for animal testing

2014-01-03
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Jamie Brown
jamie.brown@liverpool.ac.uk
44-151-794-2248
University of Liverpool
How 'slippers' can end mascara irritation New test reduces need for animal testing

An end to mascara testing on animals could be in sight thanks to tiny organisms nicknamed 'slipper' and 'eyelash'.

Mascara is a mild irritant, and rabbits have, historically, been used to test how much discomfort new products can cause. However, a cheaper and more reliable test is now being developed by scientists at the University of Liverpool, involving miniscule protozoa. This will remove animal cruelty from the equation.

The scientists from the University's Institute of Integrative Biology were able to examine potential toxicity caused by mascara, based on the growth of the protozoa when placed in experimental chambers containing the cosmetic.

Six different brands of mascara were tested, by painting it on small glass plates and placing these in the chambers. The protozoa and their food were then added. The protozoa– the slipper ciliate (Paramecium caudatum) and the eyelash ciliate (Blepharisma japonicum) – were chosen carefully because of their large size, their historic use as model organisms, and their genetic similarities to humans.

Their large size enabled the scientists to visually measure population growth using a microscope, and they were able to show that this varied according to the brand of mascara and the amount in the chamber. There was a substantial difference between brands, with some killing the protozoa and others not harming them at all.

Dr David Montagnes, who supervised the project suggests: "This test has great potential for reducing the use of rabbits as it is both cheap and reliable, and while the protozoa have a similar metabolism to animals they are not classed as such. Indeed, the traditional test used on rabbits – the Draize test – was developed more than 40 years ago and is both time consuming and expensive, as well as giving rise to ethical issues."

Montagnes went on to add: "When you can develop a simpler and cheaper alternative, there is really no need to test cosmetics on animals."

The research was part of an undergraduate final-year research project (the senior author is the student, Hayley Thomason), as such it was funded by the School of Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool. It is now published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Sciences: doi: 10.1111/ics.12106

Hayley said: "I'm very keen to establish a career as a cosmetic scientist and having the opportunity to work on a research project like this is an important step on that path."



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

How best to go about getting seed money through crowdfunding

2014-01-02
How best to go about getting seed money through crowdfunding It can be by touting yourself, Hebrew University research shows Jerusalem, January 1, 2014 --- Early on in our careers, many of us were tutored as to how to best write an effective and ...

Earthquake lights linked to rift environments, subvertical faults

2014-01-02
Earthquake lights linked to rift environments, subvertical faults SAN FRANCISCO – Rare earthquake lights are more likely to occur on or near rift environments, where subvertical faults allow stress-induced electrical currents to flow rapidly to the ...

Longmanshen fault zone still hazardous, suggest new reports

2014-01-02
Longmanshen fault zone still hazardous, suggest new reports Seismological Research Letters publishes special issue on 2013 Lushan, China earthquake SAN FRANCISCO – The 60-kilometer segment of the fault northeast of the 2013 Lushan rupture is the place ...

Jumping DNA in the brain may be a cause of schizophrenia

2014-01-02
Jumping DNA in the brain may be a cause of schizophrenia Stretches of DNA called retrotransposons, often dubbed "junk DNA", might play an important role in schizophrenia. In a study published today in the journal Neuron, a Japanese team revealed that LINE-1 retrotransposons are abnormally ...

Roses are red -- why some petunias are blue

2014-01-02
Roses are red -- why some petunias are blue Researchers have uncovered the secret recipe to making some petunias such a rare shade of blue. The findings may help to explain and manipulate the color of other ornamental flowers, not to mention the taste of fruits and wine, say ...

Plant used in Chinese medicine fights chronic pain

2014-01-02
Plant used in Chinese medicine fights chronic pain A plant used for centuries as a pain reliever in Chinese medicine may be just what the doctor ordered, especially when it comes to chronic pain. A key pain-relieving ingredient is a compound known as dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) ...

JCI early table of contents for Jan. 2, 2014

2014-01-02
JCI early table of contents for Jan. 2, 2014 Opioid tolerance and pain hypersensitivity associated with mTOR activation Currently, opioids are the standard treatment for chronic pain. Patients on opioids for long periods of time become desensitized to ...

Opioid tolerance and pain hypersensitivity associated with mTOR activation

2014-01-02
Opioid tolerance and pain hypersensitivity associated with mTOR activation Currently, opioids are the standard treatment for chronic pain. Patients on opioids for long periods of time become desensitized to these drugs or become paradoxically hypersensitive ...

Doxorubicin-associated mitochondrial iron accumulation promotes cardiotoxicity

2014-01-02
Doxorubicin-associated mitochondrial iron accumulation promotes cardiotoxicity Doxorubicin is a widely used as a component of chemotherapy regimes; however, the use of doxorubicin is associated with severe cardiotoxicity. It is unclear exactly how doxorubicin ...

Biologists discover solution to problem limiting development of human stem cell therapies

2014-01-02
Biologists discover solution to problem limiting development of human stem cell therapies Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered an effective strategy that could prevent the human immune system from rejecting the grafts derived from human embryonic ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] How 'slippers' can end mascara irritation
New test reduces need for animal testing