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Bovine Cornea OECD TG 437

Human-like Response Accuracy
Our assay utilizes bovine corneas, closely replicating human corneal response, which provides more accurate results for eye irritation testing compared to other models.
Reduced Ethical Concerns
By employing bovine corneas from already slaughtered animals, our service minimizes ethical concerns, aligning with animal welfare standards while still delivering reliable data.
Efficient and Reliable
Benefit from our streamlined process that offers quick turnaround times and consistent, reproducible results, enabling faster decision-making in product safety evaluations.


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Applications

OECD

Eye Irritation

Description

OECD Test Guideline 437: Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) Test

The OECD Test Guideline 437, commonly referred to as the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) test, is an in vitro test method used to classify chemicals according to their potential to cause eye irritation or serious eye damage. This test is particularly significant because it offers an alternative to in vivo testing, which traditionally involved using live animals, and thus supports the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce, Refine, Replace) concerning animal testing.

Purpose of BCOP test

The primary purpose of the BCOP test is to evaluate the hazard of chemicals inducing eye damage through changes observed in both the opacity and the permeability of the bovine cornea, which is a part of the eye that plays a crucial role in focusing vision.

Test Process

1. Preparation

Obtain fresh bovine eyes from slaughterhouses to ensure that the corneas are similar in physiologic condition to those in live animals.
Isolate the corneas carefully to keep them intact and mount them in a special holder that exposes only the corneal surface.

2. Treatment Application

Apply the test substance to the corneal surface. Depending on the guideline and specific test requirements, this can involve solid, liquid, or semi-solid substances.
Expose the cornea to the test substance for a specified duration, typically around 10 minutes for liquids and possibly longer for solids.

3. Assessment of Opacity

Measure the initial corneal opacity using an opacitometer before the application of the test substance.
After exposure, wash the substance off and measure the post-treatment corneal opacity.
Determine the increase in opacity caused by the test substance.

4. Permeability Measuremen

Introduce a fluorescein dye solution into the anterior chamber of the cornea post-treatment.
After a specified incubation period, measure the amount of dye that has permeated to the posterior side of the cornea using a spectrophotometer.
This permeability is indicative of damage to the corneal epithelium.

5. Data Analysis

Calculate the In Vitro Irritancy Score (IVIS) based on changes in both opacity and permeability.
Compare the IVIS against standard criteria to classify the eye irritation potential of the test substance.

6. Classification

Substances are categorized based on their IVIS as either not classified, irritating, or corrosive to the eye.