An adult stem cell proliferation assay in the flatworm model Macrostomum lignano to predict the carcinogenicity of compounds

Abstract

Flatworms possess adult pluripotent stem cells whose dynamics can easily be experimentally assessed in vivo. This feature provides the unique opportunity to be used in a pharmacological context to test the safety of chemicals. The objective of this study was to develop and assess the applicability of an alternative in vivo test with a low-level organism where stem cell proliferation is used as an endpoint to predict the carcinogenicity of chemicals. As a start, to obtain proof of concept with this new test model, we tested 4 known carcinogens (2 DNA-reactive and 2 non-DNA-reactive) and 2 noncarcinogens as negative controls. We evaluated our carcinogenicity prediction model and advocate for its future use in pharmacological safety screenings.