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Luo W, Chou L, Cui Q, Wei S, Zhang X, Guo J. High-efficiency effect-directed analysis (EDA) advancing toxicant identification in aquatic environments: Latest progress and application status. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108855. [PMID: 38945088 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Facing the great threats to ecosystems and human health posed by the continuous release of chemicals into aquatic environments, effect-directed analysis (EDA) has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying causative toxicants. However, traditional EDA shows problems of low-coverage, labor-intensive and low-efficiency. Currently, a number of high-efficiency techniques have been integrated into EDA to improve toxicant identification. In this review, the latest progress and current limitations of high-efficiency EDA, comprising high-coverage effect evaluation, high-resolution fractionation, high-coverage chemical analysis, high-automation causative peak extraction and high-efficiency structure elucidation, are summarized. Specifically, high-resolution fractionation, high-automation data processing algorithms and in silico structure elucidation techniques have been well developed to enhance EDA. While high-coverage effect evaluation and chemical analysis should be further emphasized, especially omics tools and data-independent mass acquisition. For the application status in aquatic environments, high-efficiency EDA is widely applied in surface water and wastewater. Estrogenic, androgenic and aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated activities are the most concerning, with causative toxicants showing the typical structural features of steroids and benzenoids. A better understanding of the latest progress and application status of EDA would be beneficial to further advance in the field and greatly support aquatic environment monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenrui Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Liben Chou
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Qinglan Cui
- Bluestar Lehigh Engineering Institute Co., Ltd., Lianyungang 222004, China
| | - Si Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Jiangsu Province Ecology and Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Chemical Safety and Health Risk, Nanjing 210023, China.
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2
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Yan Z, Qin G, Shi X, Jiang X, Cheng Z, Zhang Y, Nan N, Cao F, Qiu X, Sang N. Multilevel Screening Strategy to Identify the Hydrophobic Organic Components of Ambient PM 2.5 Associated with Hepatocellular Steatosis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10458-10469. [PMID: 38836430 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Hepatic steatosis is the first step in a series of events that drives hepatic disease and has been considerably associated with exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Although the chemical constituents of particles matter in the negative health effects, the specific components of PM2.5 that trigger hepatic steatosis remain unclear. New strategies prioritizing the identification of the key components with the highest potential to cause adverse effects among the numerous components of PM2.5 are needed. Herein, we established a high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) data set comprising the hydrophobic organic components corresponding to 67 PM2.5 samples in total from Taiyuan and Guangzhou, two representative cities in North and South China, respectively. The lipid accumulation bioeffect profiles of the above samples were also obtained. Considerable hepatocyte lipid accumulation was observed in most PM2.5 extracts. Subsequently, 40 of 695 components were initially screened through machine learning-assisted data filtering based on an integrated bioassay with MS data. Next, nine compounds were further selected as candidates contributing to hepatocellular steatosis based on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion evaluation and molecular dockingin silico. Finally, seven components were confirmed in vitro. This study provided a multilevel screening strategy for key active components in PM2.5 and provided insight into the hydrophobic PM2.5 components that induce hepatocellular steatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Yan
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
| | - Guohua Qin
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
| | - Xiaodi Shi
- State Key Joint Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Xing Jiang
- State Key Joint Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Zhen Cheng
- State Key Joint Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Yaru Zhang
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
| | - Nan Nan
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
| | - Fuyuan Cao
- Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Chinese Information Processing of Ministry of Education, School of Computer and Information Technology, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
| | - Xinghua Qiu
- State Key Joint Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Nan Sang
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Shanxi 030006, PR China
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Huchthausen J, Braasch J, Escher BI, König M, Henneberger L. Effects of Chemicals in Reporter Gene Bioassays with Different Metabolic Activities Compared to Baseline Toxicity. Chem Res Toxicol 2024; 37:744-756. [PMID: 38652132 PMCID: PMC11110108 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.4c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
High-throughput cell-based bioassays are used for chemical screening and risk assessment. Chemical transformation processes caused by abiotic degradation or metabolization can reduce the chemical concentration or, in some cases, lead to the formation of more toxic transformation products. Unaccounted loss processes may falsify the bioassay results. Capturing the formation and effects of transformation products is important for relating the in vitro effects to in vivo. Reporter gene cell lines are believed to have low metabolic activity, but inducibility of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes has been reported. Baseline toxicity is the minimal toxicity a chemical can have and is caused by the incorporation of the chemical into cell membranes. In the present study, we improved an existing baseline toxicity model based on a newly defined critical membrane burden derived from freely dissolved effect concentrations, which are directly related to the membrane concentration. Experimental effect concentrations of 94 chemicals in three bioassays (AREc32, ARE-bla and GR-bla) were compared with baseline toxicity by calculating the toxic ratio (TR). CYP activities of all cell lines were determined by using fluorescence-based assays. Only ARE-bla showed a low basal CYP activity and inducibility and AREc32 showed a low inducibility. Overall cytotoxicity was similar in all three assays despite the different metabolic activities indicating that chemical metabolism is not relevant for the cytotoxicity of the tested chemicals in these assays. Up to 28 chemicals showed specific cytotoxicity with TR > 10 in the bioassays, but baseline toxicity could explain the effects of the majority of the remaining chemicals. Seven chemicals showed TR < 0.1 indicating inaccurate physicochemical properties or experimental artifacts like chemical precipitation, volatilization, degradation, or other loss processes during the in vitro bioassay. The new baseline model can be used not only to identify specific cytotoxicity mechanisms but also to identify potential problems in the experimental performance or evaluation of the bioassay and thus improve the quality of the bioassay data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Huchthausen
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jenny Braasch
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental
Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard
Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Gao X, Yang J, Song J, Wu S, Li M, Li J, Chen X, Qin H, Luan H, Chen Z, Yu K, Liu W. Toxicity removal from contaminated water by constructed wetlands assessed using multiple biomarkers in human stem cell assays. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 925:171682. [PMID: 38494012 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been developed rapidly as a sustainable water treatment technique. However, the capability of CWs for remediating the contaminated water based on toxicity assessment remains largely unknown. Four surface flow CWs and two integrated surface-subsurface flow CWs, from five cities in central and eastern region of China were evaluated, concerning the adverse effects of effluents and the toxicity reduction efficiency. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were employed as a human relevant in vitro model. The influent extractions caused cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. The non-cytotoxic dilutions of the influents enhanced the genotoxicity marker γ-H2AX and reactive oxygen species levels. In addition, the influent repressed the osteogenic and neurogenic differentiation, and stimulated the adipogenic differentiation. Cytotoxicity of the contaminated water was reduced by 54 %-86 % after treatment with CWs. CWs were effective to remove part of the sub-lethal effects, with lower reduction than cytotoxicity. The integrated biomarker response (IBR) value of the effluents from the six CWs is lower than that of four secondary and one tertiary wastewater treatment plants. The IBR of the six CWs influents were in the range of 8.6-10.6, with a reduction of 15-50 % after the pollution restoration in CWs. The two integrated surface-subsurface flow CWs achieved higher IBR removal than the four surface flow CWs, possibly due to improved treatment effects by the combined systems. Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of polar fractions in the CW effluents were stronger than the medium-polar and the non-polar fractions. Besides, PPARγ agonists present in the effluents played crucial roles and ERα agonists may make modest contributions. The present study enhances understanding of the role of CWs in achieving safe wastewater reclamation and provides evidence for further improving toxicity reduction in CWs performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Gao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jingyang Song
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Shanshan Wu
- Ministry of Water Resources Key Laboratory for Hydro-ecology and Hydraulic Heritage, College of Architecture and Landscape of Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Minghan Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jianing Li
- Ministry of Water Resources Key Laboratory for Hydro-ecology and Hydraulic Heritage, College of Architecture and Landscape of Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaofeng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Hui Qin
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Haiyang Luan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Zhiqiang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (SKLUWRE, HIT), Harbin 150090, China.
| | - Kongjian Yu
- Ministry of Water Resources Key Laboratory for Hydro-ecology and Hydraulic Heritage, College of Architecture and Landscape of Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
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5
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Faulstich L, Wollenweber S, Reinhardt-Imjela C, Arendt R, Schulte A, Hollert H, Schiwy S. Ecotoxicological evaluation of surface waters in Northern Namibia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:456. [PMID: 38630192 PMCID: PMC11024038 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12613-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The increasing pressure on freshwater systems due to intensive anthropogenic use is a big challenge in central-northern Namibia and its catchment areas, the Kunene and the Kavango Rivers, and the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, that provide water for more than 1 million people. So far, there is no comprehensive knowledge about the ecological status and only few knowledge about the water quality. Therefore, it is crucial to learn about the state of the ecosystem and the ecological effects of pollutants to ensure the safe use of these resources. The surface waters of the three systems were sampled, and three bioassays were applied on three trophic levels: algae, daphnia, and zebrafish embryos. Additionally, in vitro assays were performed to analyze mutagenicity (Ames fluctuation), dioxin-like potential (micro-EROD), and estrogenicity (YES) by mechanism-specific effects. The results show that acute toxicity to fish embryos and daphnia has mainly been detected at all sites in the three catchment areas. The systems differ significantly from each other, with the sites in the Iishana system showing the highest acute toxicity. At the cellular level, only weak effects were identified, although these were stronger in the Iishana system than in the two perennial systems. Algae growth was not inhibited, and no cytotoxic effects could be detected in any of the samples. Mutagenic effects and an estrogenic potential were detected at three sites in the Iishana system. These findings are critical in water resource management as the effects can adversely impact the health of aquatic ecosystems and the organisms within them.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Faulstich
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | | | | | - R Arendt
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Schulte
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - H Hollert
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - S Schiwy
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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6
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Qin W, Henneberger L, Glüge J, König M, Escher BI. Baseline Toxicity Model to Identify the Specific and Nonspecific Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Cell-Based Bioassays. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:5727-5738. [PMID: 38394616 PMCID: PMC10993398 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
High-throughput screening is a strategy to identify potential adverse outcome pathways (AOP) for thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) if the specific effects can be distinguished from nonspecific effects. We hypothesize that baseline toxicity may serve as a reference to determine the specificity of the cell responses. Baseline toxicity is the minimum (cyto)toxicity caused by the accumulation of chemicals in cell membranes, which disturbs their structure and function. A mass balance model linking the critical membrane concentration for baseline toxicity to nominal (i.e., dosed) concentrations of PFAS in cell-based bioassays yielded separate baseline toxicity prediction models for anionic and neutral PFAS, which were based on liposome-water distribution ratios as the sole model descriptors. The specificity of cell responses to 30 PFAS on six target effects (activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, oxidative stress response, and neurotoxicity in own experiments, and literature data for activation of several PPARs and the estrogen receptor) were assessed by comparing effective concentrations to predicted baseline toxic concentrations. HFPO-DA, HFPO-DA-AS, and PFMOAA showed high specificity on PPARs, which provides information on key events in AOPs relevant to PFAS. However, PFAS were of low specificity in the other experimentally evaluated assays and others from the literature. Even if PFAS are not highly specific for certain defined targets but disturb many toxicity pathways with low potency, such effects are toxicologically relevant, especially for hydrophobic PFAS and because PFAS are highly persistent and cause chronic effects. This implicates a heightened need for the risk assessment of PFAS mixtures because nonspecific effects behave concentration-additive in mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiping Qin
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, UFZ−Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
- Environmental
Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard
Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, Tübingen DE-72076, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, UFZ−Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Juliane Glüge
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, UFZ−Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
- Institute
of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Maria König
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, UFZ−Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, UFZ−Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
- Environmental
Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard
Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, Tübingen DE-72076, Germany
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Barros de Souza A, Ali I, van de Goor T, Dewil R, Cabooter D. Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the photoelectrochemical degradation of environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals and their degradation products in water. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:120023. [PMID: 38181683 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The widespread presence of organic micropollutants in the environment reflects the inability of traditional wastewater treatment plants to remove them. In this context, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as promising quaternary wastewater treatment technologies since they efficiently degrade recalcitrant components by generating highly reactive free radicals. Nonetheless, the chemical characterization of potentially harmful byproducts is essential to avoid the contamination of natural water bodies with hazardous substances. Given the complexity of wastewater matrices, the implementation of comprehensive analytical methodologies is required. In this work, the simultaneous photoelectrochemical degradation of seven environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals and one metabolite from the EU Watch List 2020/1161 was examined in ultrapure water and simulated wastewater, achieving excellent removal efficiencies (overall >95%) after 180 min treatment. The reactor unit was linked to an online LC sample manager, allowing for automated sampling every 15 min and near real-time process monitoring. Online comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was subsequently used to tentatively identify degradation products after photoelectrochemical degradation. Two reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) columns were used: an SB-C18 column operated with 5 mM ammonium formate at pH 5.8 (1A) and methanol (1B) as the mobile phases in the first dimension and an SB-Aq column using acidified water at pH 3.1 (2A) and acetonitrile (2B) as the mobile phases in the second dimension. This resulted in a five-fold increase in peak capacity compared to one-dimensional LC while maintaining the same total analysis time of 50 min. The LC x LC method allowed the tentative identification of 12 venlafaxine, 7 trimethoprim and 10 ciprofloxacin intermediates. Subsequent toxicity predictions suggested that some of these byproducts were potentially harmful. This study presents an effective hybrid technology for the simultaneous removal of pharmaceuticals from contaminated wastewater matrices and demonstrates how multidimensional liquid chromatography techniques can be applied to better understand the degradation mechanisms after the treatment of micropollutants with AOPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allisson Barros de Souza
- Agilent Technologies Deutschland, Hewlett-Packard-Strasse 8, 76337, Waldbronn, Germany; KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Izba Ali
- InOpSys - Mobiele Waterzuivering voor Chemie en Farma, Maanstraat 9b, 2800, Mechelen, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Process and Environmental Technology Lab, J. De Nayerlaan 5, 2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
| | - Tom van de Goor
- Agilent Technologies Deutschland, Hewlett-Packard-Strasse 8, 76337, Waldbronn, Germany
| | - Raf Dewil
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Process and Environmental Technology Lab, J. De Nayerlaan 5, 2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium; University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Leusch FDL, Allen H, De Silva NAL, Hodson R, Johnson M, Neale PA, Stewart M, Tremblay LA, Wilde T, Northcott GL. Effect-based monitoring of two rivers under urban and agricultural influence reveals a range of biological activities in sediment and water extracts. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119692. [PMID: 38039589 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Chemical contaminants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial compounds are ubiquitous in surface water and sediment in areas subject to human activity. While targeted chemical analysis is typically used for water and sediment quality monitoring, there is growing interest in applying effect-based methods with in vitro bioassays to capture the effects of all active contaminants in a sample. The current study evaluated the biological effects in surface water and sediment from two contrasting catchments in Aotearoa New Zealand, the highly urbanised Whau River catchment in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and the urban and mixed agricultural Koreti (New River) Estuary catchment. Two complementary passive sampling devices, Chemcatcher for polar chemicals and polyethylene (PED) for non-polar chemicals, were applied to capture a wide range of contaminants in water, while composite sediment samples were collected at each sampling site. Bioassays indicative of induction of xenobiotic metabolism, receptor-mediated effects, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity and apical effects were applied to the water and sediment extracts. Most sediment extracts induced moderate to strong estrogenic and aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) activity, along with moderate toxicity to bacteria. The water extracts showed similar patterns to the sediment extracts, but with lower activity. Generally, the polar Chemcatcher extracts showed greater estrogenic activity, photosynthesis inhibition and algal growth inhibition than the non-polar PED extracts, though the PED extracts showed greater AhR activity. The observed effects in the water extracts were compared to available ecological effect-based trigger values (EBT) to evaluate the potential risk. For the polar extracts, most sites in both catchments exceeded the EBT for estrogenicity, with many sites exceeding the EBTs for AhR activity and photosynthesis inhibition. Of the wide range of endpoints considered, estrogenic activity, AhR activity and herbicidal activity appear to be the primary risk drivers in both the Whau and Koreti Estuary catchments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic D L Leusch
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia.
| | - Hamish Allen
- Research and Evaluation Unit, Auckland Council, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | | | - Roger Hodson
- Environment Southland Regional Council, Invercargill, 9810, New Zealand; Riverscape Enhancement Consulting, Invercargill, 9840, New Zealand
| | - Matthew Johnson
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Peta A Neale
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | | | - Louis A Tremblay
- Cawthron Institute, Nelson, 7010, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Taylor Wilde
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
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9
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Mehl A, Seiferling S, Morlock GE. Non-target estrogenic screening of 60 pesticides, six plant protection products, and tomato, grape, and wine samples by planar chromatography combined with the planar yeast estrogen screen bioassay. Anal Bioanal Chem 2024; 416:701-713. [PMID: 36877263 PMCID: PMC10766744 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-04605-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
For non-target residue analysis of xenoestrogens in food, sophisticated chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques lack in biological effect detection. Various in vitro assays providing sum values encounter problems when opposing signals are present in a complex sample. Due to physicochemical signal reduction, cytotoxic or antagonistic effect responses, the resulting sum value is falsified. Instead, the demonstrated non-target estrogenic screening with an integrated planar chromatographic separation differentiated opposing signals, detected and prioritized important estrogenic compounds, and directly assigned tentatively the responsible compounds. Sixty pesticides were investigated, ten of which showed estrogenic effects. Exemplarily, half-maximal effective concentrations and 17β-estradiol equivalents were determined. Estrogenic pesticide responses were confirmed in six tested plant protection products. In food, such as tomato, grape, and wine, several compounds with an estrogenic effect were detected. It showed that rinsing with water was not sufficient to remove selected residues and illustrated that, though not usually performed for tomatoes, peeling would be more appropriate. Though not in the focus, reaction or breakdown products that are estrogenic were detected, underlining the great potential of non-target planar chromatographic bioassay screening for food safety and food control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Mehl
- Institute of Nutritional Science, Chair of Food Science, and Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sophia Seiferling
- Institute of Nutritional Science, Chair of Food Science, and Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Gertrud E Morlock
- Institute of Nutritional Science, Chair of Food Science, and Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
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10
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Yu M, Mandava G, Lavonen E, Oskarsson A, Lundqvist J. Impact of sample acidification and extract storage on hormone receptor-mediated and oxidative stress activities in wastewater. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2024; 22:169-182. [PMID: 38295079 PMCID: wh_2023_266 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
An underemphasized aspect of sampling strategies in effect-based in vitro testing is to determine suitable collection and preparation techniques. In the current study, the impact of sample acidification on bioactivities was assessed using in vitro bioassays for hormone receptor-mediated effects (estrogen receptor [ER] and androgen receptor [AR]) and the oxidative stress response (Nrf2 activity). Sampling was conducted at a recently upgraded Swedish wastewater treatment plant. Future plans for the treated wastewater include reuse for irrigation or as a potential drinking water source. In the AR and Nrf2 assays, acidification decreased bioactivities in the wastewater influent sample extracts, whereas acidification increased bioactivities following further treatment (disc filtration). In the ER assay, acidification had no impact on the observed bioactivities in the sample extracts. A secondary objective of the study was to assess the stability of the sample extracts over time. Lower activities were detected in the ER and AR assays in all extracts after storage for approximately 1 year. Nrf2 activities did not decrease over time, but rather increased in some of the acidified sample extracts. Overall, the findings suggest that sampling strategies involving acidification may need to be tailored depending on the selected bioassay(s) and the type of wastewater treatments being assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Yu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7028, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden E-mail:
| | - Geeta Mandava
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7028, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elin Lavonen
- BioCell Analytica, Ulls väg 29C, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Agneta Oskarsson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7028, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Lundqvist
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7028, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
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11
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Choi Y, Seo CD, Lee W, Son H, Lee Y. Assessment of bioactive chemicals in wastewater effluents and surface waters using in vitro bioassays in the Nakdong River basin, Korea. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 347:140621. [PMID: 37956933 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Organic micropollutants present in effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can negatively affect the quality of receiving waters or drinking water sources. The present work monitored the concentration of bioactive chemicals using a battery of in vitro bioassays in 14 WWTP effluents, 2 effluent-dominant streams, and 5 river waters in the Nakdong River basin, Korea, for a two-year period. The WWTP effluents showed AR/ERα/TRβ (androgen/estrogen/thyroid hormone) activities at a few to tens ng/L, PAH/PPARγ/p53 (polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon/lipid metabolism/genotoxicity) activities at hundreds ng/L, and PXR/Nrf2 (xenobiotic metabolism/oxidative stress) activities at tens to hundreds μg/L as bioanalytical equivalent concentrations. The concentration level and type of bioactivities were statistically not affected by the source, season, or treatment processes of WWTPs for most endpoints. The effluent-dominant streams showed similar levels of AR/ERα/PAH/PXR/Nrf2 activities compared to the upstream WWTP effluents. The river waters showed lower levels of AR/ERα activities (by factors of 6 or 7) but had only slightly lower PAH/PXR/Nrf2 activities (within factors of 2) than the WWTP effluents when compared based on median concentration. Cytotoxicity was below the quantification limit (0.3 μg/L) in most effluent and river samples. For ERα/PAH/PXR/Nrf2, the median bioactivity levels of the river waters were higher than at least one of the effect-based trigger (EBT) values proposed in the literature. Further monitoring work and reliable/realistic EBT derivation are needed to determine possible ecological risks posed by the observed bioactivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yegyun Choi
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Dong Seo
- Water Quality Institute Busan Water Authority, Republic of Korea
| | - Woorim Lee
- Environment & Energy Research Laboratory, Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Heejong Son
- Water Quality Institute Busan Water Authority, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yunho Lee
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Spilsbury F, Kisielius V, Bester K, Backhaus T. Ecotoxicological mixture risk assessment of 35 pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluents following post-treatment with ozone and/or granulated activated carbon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167440. [PMID: 37774874 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Reducing the risk posed by mixtures of pharmaceuticals is a goal of current initiatives such as the European Green Deal to reduce anthropological environmental impacts. Wastewater effluent typically contains large numbers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). For some APIs, existing technology such as conventional activated sludge (CAS) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have removal rates below 20 %, thus the WWTP discharges are adding to the toxic burden of receiving waters. We present an environmental risk assessment of mixtures of 35 APIs in effluent samples from 82 Northern European WWTPs using the concentration addition model, and identify the respective risk-driving APIs. This is then compared to a corresponding mixture risk assessment of effluent samples from the Danish Hillerød WWTP subjected to post-treatment with varying specific ozone doses (0.15-1.05 mgO3/mgDOC) and/or granulated activated carbon (GAC). All 82 WWTP effluent samples exceeded risk thresholds by at least a factor of 30, with a median RQSUM of 92.9, highlighting the need for effluent post-treatment and/or a substantial dilution in the recipient waters. Antibiotics, analgesics and anti-depressants were among the top risk drivers with 99 % of the average mixture risk attributable to azithromycin, diclofenac, venlafaxine, clarithromycin and mycophenolic acid. Effluent mixture risk was reduced by ozonation in a concentration-dependent manner, decreasing below threshold levels to a median RQSUM of 0.83 following treatment with 0.65 mgO3/mg DOC. Fresh GAC was also effective at reducing the mixture risk both alone and with ozone treatment, with median RQSUM of 0.04 and 0.07 respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present a risk assessment of pharmaceutical mixtures in effluent comparing "conventional" WWTP processes with additional post-treatment with ozone and/or GAC for reducing the joint risks of pharmaceutical mixtures for recipient waters. We demonstrate the need for additional WWTP treatment technologies, and the efficacy of GAC and ozonation in decreasing the risk to the aquatic environment from pharmaceutical mixtures to below acceptable threshold limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Spilsbury
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden.
| | - Vaidotas Kisielius
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kai Bester
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Thomas Backhaus
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden; Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, D-52074 Aachen, Germany
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13
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Braun G, Krauss M, Escher BI. Recovery of 400 Chemicals with Three Extraction Methods for Low Volumes of Human Plasma Quantified by Instrumental Analysis and In Vitro Bioassays. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19363-19373. [PMID: 37987701 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Human biomonitoring studies are important for understanding adverse health outcomes caused by exposure to chemicals. Complex mixtures of chemicals detected in blood - the blood exposome - may serve as proxies for systemic exposure. Ideally, several analytical methods are combined with in vitro bioassays to capture chemical mixtures as diverse as possible. How many and which (bio)analyses can be performed is limited by the sample volume and compatibility of extraction and (bio)analytical methods. We compared the extraction efficacy of three extraction methods using pooled human plasma spiked with >400 organic chemicals. Passive equilibrium sampling (PES) with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) followed by solid phase extraction (PES + SPE), SPE alone (SPE), and solvent precipitation (SolvPrec) were compared for chemical recovery in LC-HRMS and GC-HRMS as well as effect recovery in four mammalian cell lines (AhR-CALUX, SH-SY5Y, AREc32, PPARγ-BLA). The mean chemical recoveries were 38% for PES + SPE, 27% for SPE, and 61% for SolvPrec. PES + SPE enhanced the mean chemical recovery compared to SPE, especially for neutral hydrophobic chemicals. PES + SPE and SolvPrec had effect recoveries of 100-200% in all four cell lines, outperforming SPE, which had 30-100% effect recovery. Although SolvPrec has the best chemical recoveries, it does not remove matrix like inorganics or lipids, which might pose problems for some (bio)analytical methods. PES + SPE is the most promising method for sample preparation in human biomonitoring as it combines good recoveries with cleanup, enrichment, and potential for high throughput.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Krauss
- Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig 04318, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
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14
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Glassmeyer ST, Burns EE, Focazio MJ, Furlong ET, Gribble MO, Jahne MA, Keely SP, Kennicutt AR, Kolpin DW, Medlock Kakaley EK, Pfaller SL. Water, Water Everywhere, but Every Drop Unique: Challenges in the Science to Understand the Role of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Management of Drinking Water Supplies. GEOHEALTH 2023; 7:e2022GH000716. [PMID: 38155731 PMCID: PMC10753268 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The protection and management of water resources continues to be challenged by multiple and ongoing factors such as shifts in demographic, social, economic, and public health requirements. Physical limitations placed on access to potable supplies include natural and human-caused factors such as aquifer depletion, aging infrastructure, saltwater intrusion, floods, and drought. These factors, although varying in magnitude, spatial extent, and timing, can exacerbate the potential for contaminants of concern (CECs) to be present in sources of drinking water, infrastructure, premise plumbing and associated tap water. This monograph examines how current and emerging scientific efforts and technologies increase our understanding of the range of CECs and drinking water issues facing current and future populations. It is not intended to be read in one sitting, but is instead a starting point for scientists wanting to learn more about the issues surrounding CECs. This text discusses the topical evolution CECs over time (Section 1), improvements in measuring chemical and microbial CECs, through both analysis of concentration and toxicity (Section 2) and modeling CEC exposure and fate (Section 3), forms of treatment effective at removing chemical and microbial CECs (Section 4), and potential for human health impacts from exposure to CECs (Section 5). The paper concludes with how changes to water quantity, both scarcity and surpluses, could affect water quality (Section 6). Taken together, these sections document the past 25 years of CEC research and the regulatory response to these contaminants, the current work to identify and monitor CECs and mitigate exposure, and the challenges facing the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan T. Glassmeyer
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentCincinnatiOHUSA
| | | | - Michael J. Focazio
- Retired, Environmental Health ProgramEcosystems Mission AreaU.S. Geological SurveyRestonVAUSA
| | - Edward T. Furlong
- Emeritus, Strategic Laboratory Sciences BranchLaboratory & Analytical Services DivisionU.S. Geological SurveyDenverCOUSA
| | - Matthew O. Gribble
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental HealthRollins School of Public HealthEmory UniversityAtlantaGAUSA
| | - Michael A. Jahne
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentCincinnatiOHUSA
| | - Scott P. Keely
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentCincinnatiOHUSA
| | - Alison R. Kennicutt
- Department of Civil and Mechanical EngineeringYork College of PennsylvaniaYorkPAUSA
| | - Dana W. Kolpin
- U.S. Geological SurveyCentral Midwest Water Science CenterIowa CityIAUSA
| | | | - Stacy L. Pfaller
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentCincinnatiOHUSA
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15
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Reiter EB, Escher BI, Rojo-Nieto E, Nolte H, Siebert U, Jahnke A. Characterizing the marine mammal exposome by iceberg modeling, linking chemical analysis and in vitro bioassays. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2023; 25:1802-1816. [PMID: 37132588 PMCID: PMC10647987 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00033h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The present study complements work on mixture effects measured with in vitro bioassays of passive equilibrium sampling extracts using the silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in organs from marine mammals with chemical profiling. Blubber, liver, kidney and brain tissues of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and orca (Orcinus orca) from the North and Baltic Seas were investigated. We analyzed 117 chemicals including legacy and emerging contaminants using gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry and quantified 70 of those chemicals in at least one sample. No systematic differences between the organs were found. Only for single compounds a clear distribution pattern was observed. For example, 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, enzacamene and etofenprox were mainly detected in blubber, whereas tonalide and the hexachlorocyclohexanes were more often found in liver. Furthermore, we compared the chemical profiling with the bioanalytical results using an iceberg mixture model, evaluating how much of the biological effect could be explained by the analyzed chemicals. The mixture effect predicted from the quantified chemical concentrations explained 0.014-83% of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor activating effect (AhR-CALUX), but less than 0.13% for the activation of the oxidative stress response (AREc32) and peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor (PPARγ). The quantified chemicals also explained between 0.044-45% of the cytotoxic effect measured with the AhR-CALUX. The largest fraction of the observed effect was explained for the orca, which was the individuum with the highest chemical burden. This study underlines that chemical analysis and bioassays are complementary to comprehensively characterize the mixture exposome of marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva B Reiter
- Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elisa Rojo-Nieto
- Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Hannah Nolte
- Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761, Büsum, Germany
| | - Annika Jahnke
- Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52074, Germany
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16
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Escher BI, Binnington MJ, König M, Lei YD, Wania F. Mixture effect assessment applying in vitro bioassays to in-tissue silicone extracts of traditional foods prepared from beluga whale blubber. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2023; 25:1759-1770. [PMID: 37254953 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00076a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We complement an earlier study on the nutrient and environmental contaminant levels in Arctic beluga whale traditional foods by mixture effect assessment using in vitro bioassays. Mixtures were extracted by in-tissue sampling of raw blubber and several traditional food preparations including Muktuk and Uqsuq using silicone (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS) as sampler. PDMS extracts persistent and degradable neutral organic chemicals of a wide range of hydrophobicity with defined lipid-PDMS partition ratios. The solvent extracts of PDMS were dosed in various reporter gene assays based on human cell lines. Cytotoxicity was consistent across all cell lines and was a good indicator of overall chemical burden. No hormone-like effects on the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor and the glucocorticoid receptor were observed but a few samples activated the androgen receptor, albeit with low potency. The peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor (PPARγ) was the most sensitive endpoint followed by activation of oxidative stress response and activation of the arylhydrocarbon (AhR) receptor. The detected pollutants only explained a small fraction of the experimental mixture effects, indicating additional bioactive pollutants. The effect levels of the extracted mixtures were higher than those observed in blubber extracts of dugongs living off the shore of Australia. Roasting over an open fire or food preparation near a smokehouse led to increased PAH levels that were reflected in increased oxidative stress response and activation of the AhR. So far in vitro assays have only been used to quantify persistent dioxin-like chemicals in food and feed but this pilot study demonstrates a much broader potential for food safety evaluations complementing chemical analytical monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthew J Binnington
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Ying D Lei
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Frank Wania
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
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17
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Ruan T, Li P, Wang H, Li T, Jiang G. Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Organic Pollutants: From an Analytical and Toxicological Perspective. Chem Rev 2023; 123:10584-10640. [PMID: 37531601 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to environmental organic pollutants has triggered significant ecological impacts and adverse health outcomes, which have been received substantial and increasing attention. The contribution of unidentified chemical components is considered as the most significant knowledge gap in understanding the combined effects of pollutant mixtures. To address this issue, remarkable analytical breakthroughs have recently been made. In this review, the basic principles on recognition of environmental organic pollutants are overviewed. Complementary analytical methodologies (i.e., quantitative structure-activity relationship prediction, mass spectrometric nontarget screening, and effect-directed analysis) and experimental platforms are briefly described. The stages of technique development and/or essential parts of the analytical workflow for each of the methodologies are then reviewed. Finally, plausible technique paths and applications of the future nontarget screening methods, interdisciplinary techniques for achieving toxicant identification, and burgeoning strategies on risk assessment of chemical cocktails are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Pengyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haotian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tingyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guibin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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18
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Beckers LM, Altenburger R, Brack W, Escher BI, Hackermüller J, Hassold E, Illing G, Krauss M, Krüger J, Michaelis P, Schüttler A, Stevens S, Busch W. A data-derived reference mixture representative of European wastewater treatment plant effluents to complement mixture assessment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 179:108155. [PMID: 37688808 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic environments are polluted with a multitude of organic micropollutants, which challenges risk assessment due the complexity and diversity of pollutant mixtures. The recognition that certain source-specific background pollution occurs ubiquitously in the aquatic environment might be one way forward to approach mixture risk assessment. To investigate this hypothesis, we prepared one typical and representative WWTP effluent mixture of organic micropollutants (EWERBmix) comprised of 81 compounds selected according to their high frequency of occurrence and toxic potential. Toxicological relevant effects of this reference mixture were measured in eight organism- and cell-based bioassays and compared with predicted mixture effects, which were calculated based on effect data of single chemicals retrieved from literature or different databases, and via quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs). The results show that the EWERBmix supports the identification of substances which should be considered in future monitoring efforts. It provides measures to estimate wastewater background concentrations in rivers under consideration of respective dilution factors, and to assess the extent of mixture risks to be expected from European WWTP effluents. The EWERBmix presents a reasonable proxy for regulatory authorities to develop and implement assessment approaches and regulatory measures to address mixture risks. The highlighted data gaps should be considered for prioritization of effect testing of most prevalent and relevant individual organic micropollutants of WWTP effluent background pollution. The here provided approach and EWERBmix are available for authorities and scientists for further investigations. The approach presented can furthermore serve as a roadmap guiding the development of archetypic background mixtures for other sources, geographical settings and chemical compounds, e.g. inorganic pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rolf Altenburger
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Werner Brack
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Beate I Escher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jörg Hackermüller
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Computer Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Enken Hassold
- German Environment Agency - UBA, Dessau-Rosslau, Germany
| | - Gianina Illing
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Krauss
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janet Krüger
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul Michaelis
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Sarah Stevens
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Wibke Busch
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
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19
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Huchthausen J, Escher BI, Grasse N, König M, Beil S, Henneberger L. Reactivity of Acrylamides Causes Cytotoxicity and Activates Oxidative Stress Response. Chem Res Toxicol 2023; 36:1374-1385. [PMID: 37531411 PMCID: PMC10445285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.3c00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Acrylamides are widely used industrial chemicals that cause adverse effects in humans or animals, such as carcinogenicity or neurotoxicity. The excess toxicity of these reactive electrophilic chemicals is especially interesting, as it is mostly triggered by covalent reactions with biological nucleophiles, such as DNA bases, proteins, or peptides. The cytotoxicity and activation of oxidative stress response of 10 (meth)acrylamides measured in three reporter gene cell lines occurred at similar concentrations. Most acrylamides exhibited high excess toxicity, while methacrylamides acted as baseline toxicants. The (meth)acrylamides showed no reactivity toward the hard biological nucleophile 2-deoxyguanosine (2DG) within 24 h, and only acrylamides reacted with the soft nucleophile glutathione (GSH). Second-order degradation rate constants (kGSH) were measured for all acrylamides with N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide) (NMBA) showing the highest kGSH (134.800 M-1 h-1) and N,N-diethylacrylamide (NDA) the lowest kGSH (2.574 M-1 h-1). Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to confirm the GSH conjugates of the acrylamides with a double conjugate formed for NMBA. The differences in reactivity between acrylamides and methacrylamides could be explained by the charge density of the carbon atoms because the electron-donating inductive effect of the methyl group of the methacrylamides lowered their electrophilicity and thus their reactivity. The differences in reactivity within the group of acrylamides could be explained by the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and steric hindrance. Cytotoxicity and activation of oxidative stress response were linearly correlated with the second-order reaction rate constants of the acrylamides with GSH. The reaction of the acrylamides with GSH is hence not only a detoxification mechanism but also leads to disturbances of the redox balance, making the cells more vulnerable to reactive oxygen species. The reactivity of acrylamides explained the oxidative stress response and cytotoxicity in the cells, and the lack of reactivity of the methacrylamides led to baseline toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Huchthausen
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Department
of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University
Tübingen, Environmental Toxicology, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nico Grasse
- Department
of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre
for Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Beil
- Institute
of Water Chemistry, Technische Universität
Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department
of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research − UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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20
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Šauer P, Vrana B, Escher BI, Grabic R, Toušová Z, Krauss M, von der Ohe PC, König M, Grabicová K, Mikušová P, Prokeš R, Sobotka J, Fialová P, Novák J, Brack W, Hilscherová K. Bioanalytical and chemical characterization of organic micropollutant mixtures in long-term exposed passive samplers from the Joint Danube Survey 4: Setting a baseline for water quality monitoring. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 178:107957. [PMID: 37406370 PMCID: PMC10445204 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring methodologies reflecting the long-term quality and contamination of surface waters are needed to obtain a representative picture of pollution and identify risk drivers. This study sets a baseline for characterizing chemical pollution in the Danube River using an innovative approach, combining continuous three-months use of passive sampling technology with comprehensive chemical (747 chemicals) and bioanalytical (seven in vitro bioassays) assessment during the Joint Danube Survey (JDS4). This is one of the world's largest investigative surface-water monitoring efforts in the longest river in the European Union, which water after riverbank filtration is broadly used for drinking water production. Two types of passive samplers, silicone rubber (SR) sheets for hydrophobic compounds and AttractSPETM HLB disks for hydrophilic compounds, were deployed at nine sites for approximately 100 days. The Danube River pollution was dominated by industrial compounds in SR samplers and by industrial compounds together with pharmaceuticals and personal care products in HLB samplers. Comparison of the Estimated Environmental Concentrations with Predicted No-Effect Concentrations revealed that at the studied sites, at least one (SR) and 4-7 (HLB) compound(s) exceeded the risk quotient of 1. We also detected AhR-mediated activity, oxidative stress response, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-mediated activity, estrogenic, androgenic, and anti-androgenic activities using in vitro bioassays. A significant portion of the AhR-mediated and estrogenic activities could be explained by detected analytes at several sites, while for the other bioassays and other sites, much of the activity remained unexplained. The effect-based trigger values for estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities were exceeded at some sites. The identified drivers of mixture in vitro effects deserve further attention in ecotoxicological and environmental pollution research. This novel approach using long-term passive sampling provides a representative benchmark of pollution and effect potentials of chemical mixtures for future water quality monitoring of the Danube River and other large water bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Šauer
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Branislav Vrana
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Beate I Escher
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Cell Toxicology, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Roman Grabic
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Toušová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Krauss
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter C von der Ohe
- UBA - German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Wörlitzer Platz 1, D-06844 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Maria König
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Cell Toxicology, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kateřina Grabicová
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Mikušová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Prokeš
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Belidla 986/4a, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jaromír Sobotka
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Fialová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Novák
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Werner Brack
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Klára Hilscherová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic.
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21
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Mehinto AC, Du B, Wenger E, Tian Z, Kolodziej EP, Apeti D, Maruya KA. Bioanalytical and non-targeted mass spectrometric screening for contaminants of emerging concern in Southern California bight sediments. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 331:138789. [PMID: 37116726 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the impact of chemical contaminants on aquatic ecosystem health remains challenging due to complex exposure scenarios and the myriad of impact metrics to consider. To expand the breadth of compounds monitored and evaluate the potential hazard of environmental mixtures, cell-based bioassays (estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)) and non-targeted chemical analyses with high resolution mass spectrometry (NTA-HRMS) were used to assess the quality of ∼70 marine sediment samples collected from 5 distinct coastal and offshore habitats of the Southern California Bight. AhR responses (<0.12-4.5 ng TCDD/g dry weight) were more frequently detectable and more variable than for ERα (<0.1-0.5 ng E2/g dry weight). The range of AhR and ERα responses increased by habitat as follows: Channel Islands < Mid-shelf < Marinas < Ports < Estuaries. The narrow range and magnitude of ERα screening response suggested limited potential for estrogenic impacts across sediments from all 5 habitats. The AhR response was positively correlated with total PAH and PCB concentrations and corresponded with a chemical score index representing the severity of metal and organic contamination. NTA-HRMS fingerprints generated in positive electrospray ionization mode were clearly distinguishable among coastal vs. offshore samples, with the greatest chemical complexity (n = 982 features detected) observed in estuarine sediment from a highly urbanized watershed (Los Angeles River). The concordance and complementary nature of bioscreening and NTA-HRMS results indicates their utility as holistic proxies for sediment quality, and when analyzed in conjunction with routine targeted chemical monitoring, show promise in identifying unexpected contaminants and novel toxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvine C Mehinto
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA.
| | - Bowen Du
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
| | - Ellie Wenger
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
| | | | - Edward P Kolodziej
- Center for Urban Waters, Tacoma, WA, USA; Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA, USA; Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dennis Apeti
- NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Keith A Maruya
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
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22
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Huchthausen J, König M, Escher BI, Henneberger L. Experimental exposure assessment for in vitro cell-based bioassays in 96- and 384-well plates. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2023; 5:1221625. [PMID: 37564394 PMCID: PMC10411540 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1221625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro cell-based bioassays have great potential for applications in the human health risk assessment of chemicals. The quantification of freely dissolved concentrations (C free) in in vitro assays is essential to generate reliable data for in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation. Existing methods for the quantification of C free are limited to low-throughput microtiter plates. The present study is a proof of principle for the applicability of a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for the determination of C free in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) bioassay run in 384-well plates with 80 µL medium per well. The effect concentrations obtained from 384-well plates were compared with those obtained from 96-well plates in a previous study. Nominal effect concentrations obtained using 96- and 384-well plates agreed with each other within a factor of three, and freely dissolved effect concentrations agreed within a factor of 6.5. The good degree of agreement in the results from both plate formats proves the general applicability of the SPME method for the determination of C free for bioassays in 384-well plates, making the present study a first step toward exposure assessment in high-throughput bioassays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Huchthausen
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Geosciences, Environmental Toxicology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
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23
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Neale PA, Escher BI, de Baat ML, Dechesne M, Dingemans MML, Enault J, Pronk GJ, Smeets PWMH, Leusch FDL. Application of Effect-Based Methods to Water Quality Monitoring: Answering Frequently Asked Questions by Water Quality Managers, Regulators, and Policy Makers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:6023-6032. [PMID: 37026997 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Effect-based methods (EBM) have great potential for water quality monitoring as they can detect the mixture effects of all active known and unknown chemicals in a sample, which cannot be addressed by chemical analysis alone. To date, EBM have primarily been applied in a research context, with a lower level of uptake by the water sector and regulators. This is partly due to concerns regarding the reliability and interpretation of EBM. Using evidence from the peer-reviewed literature, this work aims to answer frequently asked questions about EBM. The questions were identified through consultation with the water industry and regulators and cover topics related to the basis for using EBM, practical considerations regarding reliability, sampling for EBM and quality control, and what to do with the information provided by EBM. The information provided in this work aims to give confidence to regulators and the water sector to stimulate the application of EBM for water quality monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peta A Neale
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Beate I Escher
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Milo L de Baat
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | - Magali Dechesne
- Veolia Research & Innovation,765 rue Henri Becquerel, 34965 Montpellier, France
| | - Milou M L Dingemans
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jérôme Enault
- SUEZ CIRSEE, 38 rue du President Wilson, 78230 Le Pecq, France
| | - Geertje J Pronk
- KWR Water Research Institute, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | | | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
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24
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Gossen M, Govindarajan D, John AA, Hussain S, Padligur M, Linnartz C, Mohseni M, Stüwe L, Urban V, Crawford S, Schiwy S, Wessling M, Nambi IM, Hollert H. EfectroH 2O: Development and evaluation of a novel treatment technology for high-brine industrial wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 883:163479. [PMID: 37068671 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Textile production is one of the main sources of freshwater consumption by industries worldwide. In addition, according to the world bank, 20 % of the wastewater generated globally is caused by textile wet-processing. Textile wet-processing includes the processes in textile production where garments are dyed or given the final functions like water-repellency. Several thousand chemicals were used in this process, some of which are highly toxic. Discharging untreated or insufficiently treated wastewater in water bodies results in high pollution levels, severely impacting the environment and human health. Especially in textile-producing countries like India, environmental pollution and water consumption from textile wet-processing have severe impacts. Next to the high volume of chemicals used in textile production, the high salt concentration in textile wastewater also poses a challenge and is critical for freshwater systems. Moreover, textile wastewater is one of the most difficult to treat wastewater. Currently, used treatment technologies do not meet the requirements to treat textile wastewater. Therefore, the further development of efficient treatment technologies for textile wastewater is critically important. Hence, in the interdisciplinary project, effect-based monitoring demonstrates the efficiency of electrically-driven water treatment processes to remove salts and micropollutants from process water (EfectroH2O), a low-energy Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) textile wastewater treatment technology is being developed consisting of a combination of capacitive deionization (CDI) and advanced oxidation processes (AOP). In addition to treatment technology development, methods for evaluating the efficiency of treatment technologies also need to be improved. Currently, mainly physicochemical parameters such as pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are tested worldwide to check water quality. However, these methods are insufficient to make a statement about the toxic potential of such complex mixtures as textile wastewater. Therefore, also next to chemical analyses, effect-based methods (EBM) are used to verify the treated wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Gossen
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department for Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Anju Anna John
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sajid Hussain
- Tamilnadu Water Investment (TWIC), Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai 600 032, India
| | - Maria Padligur
- RWTH Aachen University (RWTH), Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Linnartz
- RWTH Aachen University (RWTH), Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany; DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., Forckenbeckstr. 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Mojtaba Mohseni
- RWTH Aachen University (RWTH), Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Lucas Stüwe
- RWTH Aachen University (RWTH), Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Viktoria Urban
- ibacon GmbH, Arheiliger Weg 17, 64380 Rossdorf, Germany; Vali Consulting GmbH, Im Technologiepark 5, 69469 Weinheim, Germany
| | - Sarah Crawford
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department for Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sabrina Schiwy
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department for Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Matthias Wessling
- RWTH Aachen University (RWTH), Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany; DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., Forckenbeckstr. 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Indumathi M Nambi
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Henner Hollert
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department for Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer-Institute für Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Department Environmental Media-related Ecotoxicology, Frankfurt, Germany.
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25
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Wang J, Dong C, Li Q, Yang X, Li D, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Zhan G. Innovative electrochemical biosensor with nitrifying biofilm and nitrite oxidation signal for comprehensive toxicity detection in Tuojiang River. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 233:119757. [PMID: 36822111 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Water toxicity detection, as a valuable supplement to conventional water quality measurement, is an important method for evaluating water environmental quality standards. However, the toxicity of composite pollutants is more complicated due to their mixture effects. This study developed a novel, rapid and interference-resistant detection method for water toxicity based on an electrochemical biosensor using peak current from nitrite oxidation as a signal. Toxicants could weaken the characteristic peak current of nitrite to indicate the magnitude of toxicity. The proof-of-concept study was first conducted using a synthetic water sample containing trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), and then the results were compared with those of the traditional toxicity colorimetric method (CCK-8 kit) and laser confocal microscopy (CLSM). The accuracy of the biosensor was further verified with water samples containing individual pollutants such as Cd2+ (50-150 μg/L), Cr6+ (20-80 μg/L) mixture, triclosan (TCS; 0.1-1.0 μg/L) and TCAA (10-80 μg/L), or a mixture of the above. The viability of the sensor was further validated with the actual water sample from the Tuojiang River. The results demonstrated that although the concentration of a single conventional pollutant in water did not exceed the discharge standard for surface water, the comprehensive toxicity of natural water should not be ignored. This method could be a beneficial supplement to conventional water quality detection to understand the characteristics of the water, and thus contribute to the next stage of water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingting Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Chong Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qiquan Li
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xu Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Daping Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Lixia Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Department of Environmental & Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark.
| | - Guoqiang Zhan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu 610041, PR China.
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26
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Qin W, Henneberger L, Huchthausen J, König M, Escher BI. Role of bioavailability and protein binding of four anionic perfluoroalkyl substances in cell-based bioassays for quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolations. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 173:107857. [PMID: 36881956 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and pose a risk to human health. High throughput screening (HTS) cell-based bioassays may inform risk assessment of PFAS provided that quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (QIVIVE) can be developed. The QIVIVE ratio is the ratio of nominal (Cnom) or freely dissolved concentration (Cfree) in human blood to Cnom or Cfree in the bioassays. Considering that the concentrations of PFAS in human plasma and in vitro bioassays may vary by orders of magnitude, we tested the hypothesis that anionic PFAS bind to proteins concentration-dependently and therefore the binding differs substantially between human plasma and bioassays, which has an impact on QIVIVE. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) with C18-coated fibers served to quantify the Cfree of four anionic PFAS (perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)) in the presence of proteins and lipid, medium components, cells and human plasma over five orders of magnitude in concentrations. The C18-SPME method was used to quantify the non-linear binding to proteins, human plasma and medium, and the partition constants to cells. These binding parameters were used to predict Cfree of PFAS in cell bioassays and human plasma by a concentration-dependent mass balance model (MBM). The approach was illustrated with a reporter gene assay indicating activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ-GeneBLAzer). Blood plasma levels were collected from literature for occupational exposure and the general population. The QIVIVEnom ratios were higher than the QIVIVEfree ratios due to the strong affinity to proteins and large differences in protein contents between human blood and bioassays. For human health risk assessment, the QIVIVEfree ratios of many in vitro assays need to be combined to cover all health relevant endpoints. If Cfree cannot be measured, they can be estimated with the MBM and concentration-dependent distribution ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiping Qin
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr, 94-96, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Huchthausen
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr, 94-96, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr, 94-96, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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27
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Neale PA, Escher BI, de Baat ML, Enault J, Leusch FDL. Effect-Based Trigger Values Are Essential for the Uptake of Effect-Based Methods in Water Safety Planning. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:714-726. [PMID: 36524849 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Effect-based methods (EBMs) using in vitro bioassays and well plate-based in vivo assays are recommended for water quality monitoring because they can capture the mixture effects of the many chemicals present in water. Many in vitro bioassays are highly sensitive, so an effect in a bioassay does not necessarily indicate poor chemical water quality. Consequently, effect-based trigger values (EBTs) have been introduced to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable chemical water quality and are required for the wider acceptance of EBMs by the water sector and regulatory bodies. These EBTs have been derived for both drinking water and surface water to protect human and ecological health, respectively, and are available for assays indicative of specific receptor-mediated effects, as well as assays indicative of adaptive stress responses, apical effects, and receptor-mediated effects triggered by many chemicals. An overview of currently available EBTs is provided, and a simple approach is proposed to predict interim EBTs for assays currently without an EBT based on the effect concentration of the assay reference compound. There was good agreement between EBTs predicted using this simplistic approach and EBTs from the literature derived using more robust methods. Finally, an interpretation framework that outlines the steps to take if the effect of a sample exceeds the EBT was developed to help facilitate the uptake of EBMs in routine water quality monitoring and water safety planning for drinking water production. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:714-726. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peta A Neale
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - Beate I Escher
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Milo L de Baat
- KWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | | | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
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28
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Choi Y, Jung EY, Lee W, Choi S, Son H, Lee Y. In vitro bioanalytical assessment of the occurrence and removal of bioactive chemicals in municipal wastewater treatment plants in Korea. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:159724. [PMID: 36306847 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) contain various organic micropollutants, some of which can exert negative effects on the quality of receiving waters or drinking water sources. This study monitored two full-scale WWTPs in Korea for the occurrence and removal of bioactive chemicals for a one-year period using a battery of in vitro bioassays as a complementary approach to chemical analysis. Bioassays covering different endpoints were employed, such as hormone receptor activation (AR and ERα), xenobiotic metabolism (PAH and PXR), oxidative stress response (Nrf2), and cytotoxicity. The WWTP influents showed AR, ERα, and PAH activities at ng/L - μg/L and PXR and Nrf2 activities at μg/L - mg/L as bioanalytical equivalent concentrations of a reference compound for each bioassay. These bioactivities decreased along with the WWTP treatment train, with significant removals achieved by the secondary biological treatment processes. Cytotoxicity was observed only for some municipal wastewater (M-WWTP) influents but was below the limit of quantification for most cases. The influent and effluent bioactivities observed in this study were mostly comparable to those reported in other WWTPs in the literature. Comparison of the bioactivities with the effect-based trigger (EBT) values indicates that the impact of WWTP effluents on receiving water quality was low for most endpoints. For Nrf2, however, further investigation is required to evaluate the observed high bioactivities compared with the current EBT. The observed ERα activity could partly be explained by the presence of some steroid estrogens. Overall, our results contribute to an important database for the concentrations and removal efficiencies of bioactive chemicals in WWTPs and demonstrate bioassays as a useful tool for urban water quality monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yegyun Choi
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Young Jung
- Water Quality Institute, Busan Water Authority, Kimhae 50804, Republic of Korea
| | - Woorim Lee
- Water Quality Institute, Busan Water Authority, Kimhae 50804, Republic of Korea; Environment & Energy Research Laboratory, Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangki Choi
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Heejong Son
- Water Quality Institute, Busan Water Authority, Kimhae 50804, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yunho Lee
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea.
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29
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Bertanza G, Steimberg N, Pedrazzani R, Boniotti J, Ceretti E, Mazzoleni G, Menghini M, Urani C, Zerbini I, Feretti D. Wastewater toxicity removal: Integrated chemical and effect-based monitoring of full-scale conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor plants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158071. [PMID: 35988629 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The literature is currently lacking effect-based monitoring studies targeted at evaluating the performance of full-scale membrane bioreactor plants. In this research, a monitoring campaign was performed at a full-scale wastewater treatment facility with two parallel lines (traditional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor). Beside the standard parameters (COD, nitrogen, phosphorus, and metals), 6 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, 29 insecticides, 2 herbicides, and 3 endocrine disrupting compounds were measured. A multi-tiered battery of bioassays complemented the investigation, targeting different toxic modes of action and employing various biological systems (uni/multicellular, prokaryotes/eukaryotes, trophic level occupation). A traffic light scoring approach was proposed to quickly visualize the impact of treatment on overall toxicity that occurred after the exposure to raw and concentrated wastewater. Analysis of the effluents of the CAS and MBR lines show very good performance of the two systems for removal of organic micropollutants and metals. The most noticeable differences between CAS and MBR occurred in the concentration of suspended solids; chemical analyses did not show major differences. On the other hand, bioassays demonstrated better performance for the MBR. Both treatment lines complied with the Italian law's "ecotoxicity standard for effluent discharge in surface water". Yet, residual biological activity was still detected, demonstrating the adequacy and sensitivity of the toxicological tools, which, by their inherent nature, allow the overall effects of complex mixtures to be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Bertanza
- DICATAM-Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brescia, Via Branze 43, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Nathalie Steimberg
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Roberta Pedrazzani
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DIMI-Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Jennifer Boniotti
- DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ceretti
- DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Mazzoleni
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Michele Menghini
- DIMI-Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Chiara Urani
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DISAT-Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, I-20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Zerbini
- DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Donatella Feretti
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
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30
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Neale PA, Escher BI, de Baat ML, Dechesne M, Deere DA, Enault J, Kools SAE, Loret JF, Smeets PWMH, Leusch FDL. Effect-based monitoring to integrate the mixture hazards of chemicals into water safety plans. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:1721-1732. [PMID: 36573675 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2022.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Water safety plans (WSPs) are intended to assure safe drinking water (DW). WSPs involve assessing and managing risks associated with microbial, chemical, physical and radiological hazards from the catchment to the consumer. Currently, chemical hazards in WSPs are assessed by targeted chemical analysis, but this approach fails to account for the mixture effects of the many chemicals potentially present in water supplies and omits the possible effects of non-targeted chemicals. Consequently, effect-based monitoring (EBM) using in vitro bioassays and well plate-based in vivo assays are proposed as a complementary tool to targeted chemical analysis to support risk analysis, risk management and water quality verification within the WSP framework. EBM is frequently applied to DW and surface water and can be utilised in all defined monitoring categories within the WSP framework (including 'system assessment', 'validation', 'operational' and 'verification'). Examples of how EBM can be applied within the different WSP modules are provided, along with guidance on where to apply EBM and how frequently. Since this is a new area, guidance documents, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and decision-making frameworks are required for both bioassay operators and WSP teams to facilitate the integration of EBM into WSPs, with these resources being developed currently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peta A Neale
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia E-mail:
| | - Beate I Escher
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia E-mail: ; Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Milo L de Baat
- KWR Water Research Institute, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
| | - Magali Dechesne
- Veolia Research & Innovation, 765 rue Henri Becquerel, Montpellier 34965, France
| | | | - Jérôme Enault
- SUEZ CIRSEE, 38 rue du President Wilson, Le Pecq 78230, France
| | | | | | | | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4222, Australia E-mail:
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31
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Merkus VI, Sommer C, Smollich E, Sures B, Schmidt TC. Acute ecotoxicological effects on daphnids and green algae caused by the ozonation of ibuprofen. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157611. [PMID: 35896135 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Due to its ubiquitous presence in wastewaters, wastewater treatment plant effluents and even surface waters, the removal of the pharmaceutical ibuprofen from water is of special interest. Ozonation is widely applied for the treatment of micropollutants in wastewater treatment plants and is already known to also degrade ibuprofen. However, the formation of a wide range of transformation products during such oxidation steps might affect the aquatic environment. This study focuses on the acute ecotoxicological impact of the ibuprofen ozonation products on the two model organisms Daphnia magna and Desmodesmus subspicatus. For the identification of possibly ecotoxic products, a new workflow combining ecotoxicological testing, analytical methods and toxicity prediction was applied. Examination at different pH conditions with increasing ozone doses can point to respective products for further systematic examination. Seven ozonation products were confirmed in this study, two of them for the first time. Five previously postulated products were rejected. For pH 7 the inhibition of green algae growth was observed for mixtures oxidized with low ozone doses, while at pH 3 the mixtures with higher ozone doses caused toxic effects on the mobility of daphnids. Together with the analytical measurements in combination with ecotoxicity prediction, six products were identified which might have caused the toxic effect on green algae. However, no assignment to the observed toxic effects on daphnids was possible. The gained results indicate that mixture toxicity might play a role in oxidation processes and needs to be considered in ozonation studies concerning the ecotoxicological impact. Furthermore, the different observed toxicity for the two organisms underlines the importance of using multiple test systems for a comprehensive evaluation of the ecotoxicity during ozonation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina I Merkus
- Faculty of Chemistry, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Christina Sommer
- Faculty of Chemistry, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Esther Smollich
- Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Bernd Sures
- Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Torsten C Schmidt
- Faculty of Chemistry, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; IWW Water Centre, Moritzstraße 26, 45476 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
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32
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Wlodkowic D, Jansen M. High-throughput screening paradigms in ecotoxicity testing: Emerging prospects and ongoing challenges. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 307:135929. [PMID: 35944679 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The rapidly increasing number of new production chemicals coupled with stringent implementation of global chemical management programs necessities a paradigm shift towards boarder uses of low-cost and high-throughput ecotoxicity testing strategies as well as deeper understanding of cellular and sub-cellular mechanisms of ecotoxicity that can be used in effective risk assessment. The latter will require automated acquisition of biological data, new capabilities for big data analysis as well as computational simulations capable of translating new data into in vivo relevance. However, very few efforts have been so far devoted into the development of automated bioanalytical systems in ecotoxicology. This is in stark contrast to standardized and high-throughput chemical screening and prioritization routines found in modern drug discovery pipelines. As a result, the high-throughput and high-content data acquisition in ecotoxicology is still in its infancy with limited examples focused on cell-free and cell-based assays. In this work we outline recent developments and emerging prospects of high-throughput bioanalytical approaches in ecotoxicology that reach beyond in vitro biotests. We discuss future importance of automated quantitative data acquisition for cell-free, cell-based as well as developments in phytotoxicity and in vivo biotests utilizing small aquatic model organisms. We also discuss recent innovations such as organs-on-a-chip technologies and existing challenges for emerging high-throughput ecotoxicity testing strategies. Lastly, we provide seminal examples of the small number of successful high-throughput implementations that have been employed in prioritization of chemicals and accelerated environmental risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Wlodkowic
- The Neurotox Lab, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3083, Australia.
| | - Marcus Jansen
- LemnaTec GmbH, Nerscheider Weg 170, 52076, Aachen, Germany
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33
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Wei R, Escher BI, Glaser C, König M, Schlichting R, Schmitt M, Störiko A, Viswanathan M, Zarfl C. Modeling the Dynamics of Mixture Toxicity and Effects of Organic Micropollutants in a Small River under Unsteady Flow Conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14397-14408. [PMID: 36170232 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The presence of anthropogenic organic micropollutants in rivers poses a long-term threat to surface water quality. To describe and quantify the in-stream fate of single micropollutants, the advection-dispersion-reaction (ADR) equation has been used previously. Understanding the dynamics of the mixture effects and cytotoxicity that are cumulatively caused by micropollutant mixtures along their flow path in rivers requires a new concept. Thus, we extended the ADR equation from single micropollutants to defined mixtures and then to the measured mixture effects of micropollutants extracted from the same river water samples. Effects (single and mixture) are expressed as effect units and toxic units, the inverse of effect concentrations and inhibitory concentrations, respectively, quantified using a panel of in vitro bioassays. We performed a Lagrangian sampling campaign under unsteady flow, collecting river water that was impacted by a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. To reduce the computational time, the solution of the ADR equation was expressed by a convolution-based reactive transport approach, which was used to simulate the dynamics of the effects. The dissipation dynamics of the individual micropollutants were reproduced by the deterministic model following first-order kinetics. The dynamics of experimental mixture effects without known compositions were captured by the model ensemble obtained through Bayesian calibration. The highly fluctuating WWTP effluent discharge dominated the temporal patterns of the effect fluxes in the river. Minor inputs likely from surface runoff and pesticide diffusion might contribute to the general effect and cytotoxicity pattern but could not be confirmed by the model-based analysis of the available effect and chemical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Wei
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Clarissa Glaser
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rita Schlichting
- Department of Cell Toxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Schmitt
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anna Störiko
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michelle Viswanathan
- Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Christiane Zarfl
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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34
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Escher BI, Lamoree M, Antignac JP, Scholze M, Herzler M, Hamers T, Jensen TK, Audebert M, Busquet F, Maier D, Oelgeschläger M, Valente MJ, Boye H, Schmeisser S, Dervilly G, Piumatti M, Motteau S, König M, Renko K, Margalef M, Cariou R, Ma Y, Treschow AF, Kortenkamp A, Vinggaard AM. Mixture Risk Assessment of Complex Real-Life Mixtures-The PANORAMIX Project. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192012990. [PMID: 36293571 PMCID: PMC9602166 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192012990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Humans are involuntarily exposed to hundreds of chemicals that either contaminate our environment and food or are added intentionally to our daily products. These complex mixtures of chemicals may pose a risk to human health. One of the goals of the European Union's Green Deal and zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment is to tackle the existent gaps in chemical mixture risk assessment by providing scientific grounds that support the implementation of adequate regulatory measures within the EU. We suggest dealing with this challenge by: (1) characterising 'real-life' chemical mixtures and determining to what extent they are transferred from the environment to humans via food and water, and from the mother to the foetus; (2) establishing a high-throughput whole-mixture-based in vitro strategy for screening of real-life complex mixtures of organic chemicals extracted from humans using integrated chemical profiling (suspect screening) together with effect-directed analysis; (3) evaluating which human blood levels of chemical mixtures might be of concern for children's development; and (4) developing a web-based, ready-to-use interface that integrates hazard and exposure data to enable component-based mixture risk estimation. These concepts form the basis of the Green Deal project PANORAMIX, whose ultimate goal is to progress mixture risk assessment of chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate I. Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marja Lamoree
- Department Environment & Health, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Martin Scholze
- Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Environmental Sciences Division, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Matthias Herzler
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Timo Hamers
- Department Environment & Health, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tina Kold Jensen
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Marc Audebert
- Toxalim, UMR1331, INRAE, 31027 Toulouse, France
- PrediTox, 31100 Toulouse, France
| | | | | | | | - Maria João Valente
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Henriette Boye
- Odense Child Cohort, Hans Christian Andersen Hospital for Children, Odense University Hospital, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kostja Renko
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Margalef
- Department Environment & Health, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Yanying Ma
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Andreas Kortenkamp
- Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Environmental Sciences Division, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Anne Marie Vinggaard
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +45-35887549
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35
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Lee J, Schlichting R, König M, Scholz S, Krauss M, Escher BI. Monitoring Mixture Effects of Neurotoxicants in Surface Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents with Neurite Outgrowth Inhibition in SH-SY5Y Cells. ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2022; 2:523-535. [PMID: 37101724 PMCID: PMC10125335 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.2c00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based assays covering environmentally relevant modes of action are widely used for water quality monitoring. However, no high-throughput assays are available for testing developmental neurotoxicity of water samples. We implemented an assay that quantifies neurite outgrowth, which is one of the neurodevelopmental key events, and cell viability in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells using imaging techniques. We used this assay for testing of extracts of surface water collected in agricultural areas during rain events and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where more than 200 chemicals had been quantified. Forty-one chemicals were tested individually that were suspected to contribute to the mixture effects among the detected chemicals in environmental samples. Sample sensitivity distributions indicated higher neurotoxicity for surface water samples than for effluents, and the endpoint of neurite outgrowth inhibition was six times more sensitive than cytotoxicity in the surface water samples and only three times more sensitive in the effluent samples. Eight environmental pollutants showed high specificity, and those ranged from pharmaceuticals (mebendazole and verapamil) to pesticides (methiocarb and clomazone), biocides (1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one), and industrial chemicals (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin, and 2-(4-morpholinyl)benzothiazole). Although neurotoxic effects were newly detected for some of our test chemicals, less than 1% of the measured effects were explained by the detected and toxicologically characterized chemicals. The neurotoxicity assay was benchmarked against other bioassays: activations of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor were similar in sensitivity, highly sensitive and did not differ much between the two water types, with surface water having slightly higher effects than the WWTP effluent. Oxidative stress response mirrored neurotoxicity quite well but was caused by different chemicals in the two water types. Overall, the new cell-based neurotoxicity assay is a valuable complement to the existing battery of effect-based monitoring tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungeun Lee
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rita Schlichting
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Scholz
- Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Krauss
- Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research−UFZ, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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36
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Rietdijk J, Aggarwal T, Georgieva P, Lapins M, Carreras-Puigvert J, Spjuth O. Morphological profiling of environmental chemicals enables efficient and untargeted exploration of combination effects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 832:155058. [PMID: 35390365 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Environmental chemicals are commonly studied one at a time, and there is a need to advance our understanding of the effect of exposure to their combinations. Here we apply high-content microscopy imaging of cells stained with multiplexed dyes (Cell Painting) to profile the effects of Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), Bisphenol A (BPA), and Dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) exposure on four human cell lines; both individually and in all combinations. We show that morphological features can be used with multivariate data analysis to discern between exposures from individual compounds, concentrations, and combinations. CTAB and DBTDL induced concentration-dependent morphological changes across the four cell lines, and BPA exacerbated morphological effects when combined with CTAB and DBTDL. Combined exposure to CTAB and BPA induced changes in the ER, Golgi apparatus, nucleoli and cytoplasmic RNA in one of the cell lines. Different responses between cell lines indicate that multiple cell types are needed when assessing combination effects. The rapid and relatively low-cost experiments combined with high information content make Cell Painting an attractive methodology for future studies of combination effects. All data in the study is made publicly available on Figshare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonne Rietdijk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Tanya Aggarwal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Polina Georgieva
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Maris Lapins
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Jordi Carreras-Puigvert
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden.
| | - Ola Spjuth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden.
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Reiter EB, Escher BI, Siebert U, Jahnke A. Activation of the xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress response by mixtures of organic pollutants extracted with in-tissue passive sampling from liver, kidney, brain and blubber of marine mammals. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 165:107337. [PMID: 35696845 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We used in-tissue passive equilibrium sampling using the silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to transfer chemical mixtures present in organs from marine mammals with lipid contents between 2.3 and 99%into in vitro bioassays. Tissues from five harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), one harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and one orca (Orcinus orca) from the North and Baltic Seas were sampled until thermodynamic equilibrium was reached. Mixture effects were quantified with cellular reporter gene bioassays targeting the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR-CALUX), the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ-bla) and the oxidative stress response (AREc32), with parallel cytotoxicity measurements in all assays. After removing co-extracted lipids and other matrix residues with a non-destructive cleanup method (freeze-out of acetonitrile extract followed by a primary secondary amine sorbent extraction), the activation of the PPARγ and AREc32 were reduced by factors of on average 4.3 ± 0.15 (n = 22) and 2.5 ± 0.23 (n = 18), respectively, whereas the activation of the AhR remained largely unaltered: 1.1 ± 0.075 (n = 6). The liver extracts showed the highest activation, followed by the corresponding kidney and brain extracts, and the blubber extracts of the animals were the least active ones. The activation of the PPARγ by the liver extracts was reduced after cleanup by a factor of 11 ± 0.26 (n = 7) and the AREc32 activity by a factor of 1.9 ± 0.32 (n = 4). The blubber extracts did not activate the AhR up to concentrations where cytotoxicity occurred or up to an acceptable lipid volume fraction of 0.27% as derived from earlier work, whereas all liver extracts that had undergone cleanup activated the AhR. The developed in-tissue passive sampling approach allows a direct comparison of the bioassay responses between different tissues without further normalization and serves as a quantitative method suitable for biomonitoring of environmental biota samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva B Reiter
- Department Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Annika Jahnke
- Department Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Sossalla NA, Nivala J, Escher BI, Schlichting R, van Afferden M, Müller RA, Reemtsma T. Impact of various aeration strategies on the removal of micropollutants and biological effects in aerated horizontal flow treatment wetlands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 828:154423. [PMID: 35276169 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Two aerated horizontal subsurface flow treatment wetlands were studied over two years for the removal efficacy with respect of conventional wastewater parameters, micropollutants and effect-based methods. One wetland served as control and was aerated 24 h d-1 across 100% of the fractional length of the system. The second aerated horizontal flow treatment wetland was investigated under several aeration modes: first year with a zone of 85% aeration, followed by five months with a zone of 50% aeration and six months with a zone of 35% aeration. With 85% aeration, no significant difference in the removal efficacy as compared to the fully aerated control could be observed, except for E. coli, which were removed four times better in the control. No significant difference in removal efficacy for Total Organic Carbon, 5-day Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand, caffeine, and naproxen were observed. A 50% non-aerated zone reduced the overall removal efficacy of biological effects. The highest removal efficacy for the moderately biodegradable micropollutants benzotriazole and diclofenac was observed in the system with 50% aeration. This could be due to the sharp increase of dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation reduction potential at the passage from the non-aerated to the aerated zone (at 75% of the fractional length). The internal concentration profiles of caffeine, ibuprofen and naproxen varied from 12.5%, 25%, 50% to 75% fractional length due to redox shift, DO variations and other conditions. A reduction of the aerated zone to 35% of the fractional length results in reduced treatment efficacy for benzotriazole, diclofenac, acesulfame and biological effects but 50% aeration yielded as much degradation as the fully aerated control. These results indicate that less aeration could provide similar effluent water quality, depending on the pollutants of interest. E. coli and biological effects were removed best in the fully aerated system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine A Sossalla
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Environmental Science, Dresden University of Technology, Bergstraße 66, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Jaime Nivala
- INRAE - French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, Research Unit REVERSAAL, 5 rue de la Doua, CS 20244, 69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstraße 94-96, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rita Schlichting
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manfred van Afferden
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roland A Müller
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thorsten Reemtsma
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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39
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Luo YS, Chen Z, Hsieh NH, Lin TE. Chemical and biological assessments of environmental mixtures: A review of current trends, advances, and future perspectives. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 432:128658. [PMID: 35290896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Considering the chemical complexity and toxicity data gaps of environmental mixtures, most studies evaluate the chemical risk individually. However, humans are usually exposed to a cocktail of chemicals in real life. Mixture health assessment remains to be a research area having significant knowledge gaps. Characterization of chemical composition and bioactivity/toxicity are the two critical aspects of mixture health assessments. This review seeks to introduce the recent progress and tools for the chemical and biological characterization of environmental mixtures. The state-of-the-art techniques include the sampling, extraction, rapid detection methods, and the in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches to generate the toxicity data of an environmental mixture. Application of these novel methods, or new approach methodologies (NAMs), has increased the throughput of generating chemical and toxicity data for mixtures and thus refined the mixture health assessment. Combined with computational methods, the chemical and biological information would shed light on identifying the bioactive/toxic components in an environmental mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Syuan Luo
- Institute of Food Safety and Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Zunwei Chen
- Program in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nan-Hung Hsieh
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Tzu-En Lin
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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Kanwischer M, Asker N, Wernersson AS, Wirth MA, Fisch K, Dahlgren E, Osterholz H, Habedank F, Naumann M, Mannio J, Schulz-Bull DE. Substances of emerging concern in Baltic Sea water: Review on methodological advances for the environmental assessment and proposal for future monitoring. AMBIO 2022; 51:1588-1608. [PMID: 34637089 PMCID: PMC9005613 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01627-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The Baltic Sea is among the most polluted seas worldwide. Anthropogenic contaminants are mainly introduced via riverine discharge and atmospheric deposition. Regional and international measures have successfully been employed to reduce concentrations of several legacy contaminants. However, current Baltic Sea monitoring programs do not address compounds of emerging concern. Hence, potentially harmful pharmaceuticals, UV filters, polar pesticides, estrogenic compounds, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or naturally produced algal toxins are not taken into account during the assessment of the state of the Baltic Sea. Herein, we conducted literature searches based on systematic approaches and compiled reported data on these substances in Baltic Sea surface water and on methodological advances for sample processing and chemical as well as effect-based analysis of these analytically challenging marine pollutants. Finally, we provide recommendations for improvement of future contaminant and risk assessment in the Baltic Sea, which revolve around a combination of both chemical and effect-based analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Kanwischer
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Noomi Asker
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18A, 41390 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Ann-Sofie Wernersson
- Department for Management of Contaminated Sites, Swedish Geotechnical Institute, Hugo Grauers gata 5 B, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Marisa A. Wirth
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Kathrin Fisch
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Elin Dahlgren
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Stångholmsvägen 2, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden
| | - Helena Osterholz
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Friederike Habedank
- State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thierfelderstraße 18, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Michael Naumann
- Department of Physical Oceanography and Instrumentation, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Jaakko Mannio
- Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production/Contaminants, Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Detlef E. Schulz-Bull
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
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Kosnik M, Hauschild MZ, Fantke P. Toward Assessing Absolute Environmental Sustainability of Chemical Pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:4776-4787. [PMID: 35349278 PMCID: PMC9022439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Chemicals are widely used in modern society, which can lead to negative impacts on ecosystems. Despite the urgent relevance for global policy setting, there are no established methods to assess the absolute sustainability of chemical pressure at relevant spatiotemporal scales. We propose an absolute environmental sustainability framework (AESA) for chemical pollution where (1) the chemical pressure on ecosystems is quantified, (2) the ability for ecosystems to withstand chemical pressure (i.e., their carrying capacity) is determined, and (3) the "safe space" is derived, wherein chemical pressure is within the carrying capacity and hence does not lead to irreversible adverse ecological effects. This space is then allocated to entities contributing to the chemical pressure. We discuss examples involving pesticide use in Europe to explore the associated challenges in implementing this framework (e.g., identifying relevant chemicals, conducting analyses at appropriate spatiotemporal scales) and ways forward (e.g., chemical prioritization approaches, data integration). The proposed framework is the first step toward understanding where and how much chemical pressure exceeds related ecological limits and which sources and actors are contributing to the chemical pressure. This can inform sustainable levels of chemical use and help policy makers establish relevant and science-based protection goals from regional to global scale.
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Linking Micropollutants to Trait Syndromes across Freshwater Diatom, Macroinvertebrate, and Fish Assemblages. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14081184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The ecological quality of freshwater ecosystems is endangered by various micropollutants released into the environment by human activities. The cumulative effects of these micropollutants can affect the fitness of organisms and populations and the functional diversity of stream ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the joint toxicity of micropollutants and trait syndromes. A trait syndrome corresponds to a combination of traits that could occur together in communities due to the trait selection driven by exposure to these micropollutants. Our objectives were to (i) identify trait syndromes specific to diatom, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblages and their responses to exposure, taking into account four micropollutant types (mineral micropollutants, pesticides, PAHs, and other organic micropollutants) and nine modes of action (only for pesticides), (ii) explore how these syndromes vary within and among the three biological compartments, (iii) investigate the trait categories driving the responses of syndromes to micropollutant exposure, and (iv) identify specific taxa, so-called paragons, which are highly representative of these syndromes. To achieve these objectives, we analyzed a dataset including the biological and physico-chemical results of 2007 sampling events from a large-scale monitoring survey routinely performed in French wadeable streams. We have identified five (diatoms), eight (macroinvertebrates), and eight (fishes) trait syndromes, either positively or negatively related to an increasing toxicity gradient of different clusters of micropollutant types or modes of action. Our analyses identified several key trait categories and sets of paragons, exhibiting good potential for highlighting exposure by specific micropollutant types and modes of action. Overall, trait syndromes might represent a novel and integrative bioassessment tool, driven by the diversity of trait-based responses to increasing gradients of micropollutant toxic cocktails.
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43
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von Hellfeld R, Pannetier P, Braunbeck T. Specificity of time- and dose-dependent morphological endpoints in the fish embryo acute toxicity (FET) test for substances with diverse modes of action: the search for a "fingerprint". ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:16176-16192. [PMID: 34643865 PMCID: PMC8827326 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16354-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The fish embryo acute toxicity (FET) test with the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo according to OECD TG 236 was originally developed as an alternative test method for acute fish toxicity testing according to, e.g., OECD TG 203. Given the versatility of the protocol, however, the FET test has found application beyond acute toxicity testing as a common tool in environmental hazard and risk assessment. Whereas the standard OECD guideline is restricted to four core endpoints (coagulation as well as lack of somite formation, heartbeat, and tail detachment) for simple, rapid assessment of acute toxicity, further endpoints can easily be integrated into the FET test protocol. This has led to the hypothesis that an extended FET test might allow for the identification of different classes of toxicants via a "fingerprint" of morphological observations. To test this hypothesis, the present study investigated a set of 18 compounds with highly diverse modes of action with respect to acute and sublethal endpoints. Especially at higher concentrations, most observations proved toxicant-unspecific. With decreasing concentrations, however, observations declined in number, but gained in specificity. Specific observations may at best be made at test concentrations ≤ EC10. The existence of a "fingerprint" based on morphological observations in the FET is, therefore, highly unlikely in the range of acute toxicity, but cannot be excluded for experiments at sublethal concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca von Hellfeld
- Center for Organismal Studies, Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Section, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 504, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Science, 23 St Machar Drive, AB24 3UU, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Pauline Pannetier
- Center for Organismal Studies, Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Section, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 504, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Braunbeck
- Center for Organismal Studies, Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Section, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 504, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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44
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Segner H, Rehberger K, Bailey C, Bo J. Assessing Fish Immunotoxicity by Means of In Vitro Assays: Are We There Yet? Front Immunol 2022; 13:835767. [PMID: 35296072 PMCID: PMC8918558 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.835767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing awareness that a range of environmental chemicals target the immune system of fish and may compromise the resistance towards infectious pathogens. Existing concepts to assess chemical hazards to fish, however, do not consider immunotoxicity. Over recent years, the application of in vitro assays for ecotoxicological hazard assessment has gained momentum, what leads to the question whether in vitro assays using piscine immune cells might be suitable to evaluate immunotoxic potentials of environmental chemicals to fish. In vitro systems using primary immune cells or immune cells lines have been established from a wide array of fish species and basically from all immune tissues, and in principal these assays should be able to detect chemical impacts on diverse immune functions. In fact, in vitro assays were found to be a valuable tool in investigating the mechanisms and modes of action through which environmental agents interfere with immune cell functions. However, at the current state of knowledge the usefulness of these assays for immunotoxicity screening in the context of chemical hazard assessment appears questionable. This is mainly due to a lack of assay standardization, and an insufficient knowledge of assay performance with respect to false positive or false negative signals for the different toxicant groups and different immune functions. Also the predictivity of the in vitro immunotoxicity assays for the in vivo immunotoxic response of fishes is uncertain. In conclusion, the currently available database is too limited to support the routine application of piscine in vitro assays as screening tool for assessing immunotoxic potentials of environmental chemicals to fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Segner
- Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Department of Pathobiology and Infectious Diseases, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Helmut Segner,
| | - Kristina Rehberger
- Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Department of Pathobiology and Infectious Diseases, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Jun Bo
- Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen, China
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45
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Road Runoff Characterization: Ecotoxicological Assessment Combined with (Non-)Target Screenings of Micropollutants for the Identification of Relevant Toxicants in the Dissolved Phase. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14040511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Road runoff (RR) is an important vector of micropollutants towards groundwater and soils, threatening the environment and ecosystems. Through combined chemical and biological approaches, the purpose of this study was to get insights on specific toxicants present in RR from two sites differing by their traffic intensity and their toxicological risk assessment. Non-target screening was performed by HRMS on RR dissolved phase. Ecotoxicological risk was evaluated in a zebrafish embryos model and on rat liver mitochondrial respiratory chain. Specific HRMS fingerprints were obtained for each site, reflecting their respective traffic intensities. Several micropollutants, including 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG) and benzotriazole (BZT) were identified in greater concentrations at the high-traffic site. The origin of DPG was confirmed by analyzing HRMS fingerprints from shredded tires. RR samples from each site, DPG and BZT were of relatively low toxicity (no mortality) to zebrafish embryos, but all generated distinct and marked stress responses in the light–dark transition test, while DPG/BZT mixes abolished this effect. The moderate-traffic RR and DPG inhibited mitochondrial complex I. Our study highlights (i) the unpredictability of pollutants cocktail effect and (ii) the importance of a multi-approaches strategy to characterize environmental matrices, essential for their management at the source and optimization of depollution devices.
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46
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Rougé V, Shin J, Nguyen PTTH, Jang D, Lee W, Escher BI, Lee Y. Nitriles as main products from the oxidation of primary amines by ferrate(VI): Kinetics, mechanisms and toxicological implications for nitrogenous disinfection byproduct control. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 209:117881. [PMID: 34861435 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ferrate (Fe(VI)), a promising water treatment oxidant, can be used for micropollutant abatement or disinfection byproduct mitigation. However, knowledge gaps remain concerning the interaction between Fe(VI) and dissolved organic matter structures, notably primary amines. This study investigated degradation kinetics and products of several aliphatic primary amines by Fe(VI). Primary amines showed appreciable reactivity toward Fe(VI) (2.7-68 M-1s-1 at pH 7-9), ranking as follows: benzylamine > phenethylamine > phenylpropylamine > methylamine ≈ propylamine. Nitriles were the main oxidation products of the primary amines, with molar yields of 61-103%. Minor products included aldehydes, carboxylic acids, nitroalkanes, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia. The buffering conditions were important. Compared to phosphate, borate enhanced the reactivity of the amines and shifted the products from nitriles to carbonyls. An evaluation of the effect potency of some cyano-compounds by an in vitro bioassay for oxidative stress response and cytotoxicity suggested that non-halogenated nitriles are unlikely to pose a significant threat because they were only toxic at high concentrations, acted as baseline toxicants and did not cause oxidative stress, unlike halonitroalkanes or halonitriles. The formation of non-halogenated nitriles is preferable to the formation of nitroalkanes arising from the ozonation of primary amines (other than amino acid N-terminals) because, during chlorination, nitriles remain unreactive while nitroalkanes lead to potent halonitroalkanes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Rougé
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaedon Shin
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea; School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Pham Thi Thai Ha Nguyen
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Jang
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Woongbae Lee
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig 04318, Germany; Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Center for Applied Geoscience, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Yunho Lee
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea.
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47
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Schulte B, König M, Escher BI, Wittenburg S, Proj M, Wolf V, Lemke C, Schnakenburg G, Sosič I, Streeck H, Müller CE, Gütschow M, Steinebach C. Andrographolide Derivatives Target the KEAP1/NRF2 Axis and Possess Potent Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202100732. [PMID: 35099120 PMCID: PMC9015489 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring compounds represent a vast pool of pharmacologically active entities. One of such compounds is andrographolide, which is endowed with many beneficial properties, including the activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). To initiate a drug repurposing or hit optimization campaign, it is imperative to unravel the primary mechanism(s) of the antiviral action of andrographolide. Here, we showed by means of a reporter gene assay that andrographolide exerts its anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 effects by inhibiting the interaction between Kelch‐like ECH‐associated protein 1 (KEAP1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (NRF2) causing NRF2 upregulation. Moreover, we demonstrated that subtle structural modifications of andrographolide could lead to derivatives with stronger on‐target activities and improved physicochemical properties. Our results indicate that further optimization of this structural class is warranted to develop novel COVID‐19 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Schulte
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maria König
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I Escher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sophie Wittenburg
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Matic Proj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Valentina Wolf
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Carina Lemke
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gregor Schnakenburg
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Izidor Sosič
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Hendrik Streeck
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Germany
| | - Christa E Müller
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Gütschow
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Steinebach
- Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, 53121, Bonn, Germany
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48
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Simon E, Duffek A, Stahl C, Frey M, Scheurer M, Tuerk J, Gehrmann L, Könemann S, Swart K, Behnisch P, Olbrich D, Brion F, Aït-Aïssa S, Pasanen-Kase R, Werner I, Vermeirssen ELM. Biological effect and chemical monitoring of Watch List substances in European surface waters: Steroidal estrogens and diclofenac - Effect-based methods for monitoring frameworks. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 159:107033. [PMID: 34979407 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Three steroidal estrogens, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac have been included in the first Watch List of the Water Framework Directive (WFD, EU Directive 2000/60/EC, EU Implementing Decision 2015/495). This triggered the need for more EU-wide surface water monitoring data on these micropollutants, before they can be considered for inclusion in the list of priority substances regularly monitored in aquatic ecosystems. The revision of the priority substance list of the WFD offers the opportunity to incorporate more holistic bioanalytical approaches, such as effect-based monitoring, alongside single substance chemical monitoring. Effect-based methods (EBMs) are able to measure total biological activities (e.g., estrogenic activity or cyxlooxygenase [COX]-inhibition) of specific group of substances (such as estrogens and NSAIDs) in the aquatic environment at low concentrations (pg/L). This makes them potential tools for a cost-effective and ecotoxicologically comprehensive water quality assessment. In parallel, the use of such methods could build a bridge from chemical status assessments towards ecological status assessments by adressing mixture effects for relevant modes of action. Our study aimed to assess the suitability of implementing EBMs in the WFD, by conducting a large-scale sampling and analysis campaign of more than 70 surface waters across Europe. This resulted in the generation of high-quality chemical and effect-based monitoring data for the selected Watch List substances. Overall, water samples contained low estrogenicity (0.01-1.3 ng E2-Equivalent/L) and a range of COX-inhibition activity similar to previously reported levels (12-1600 ng Diclofenac-Equivalent/L). Comparison between effect-based and conventional analytical chemical methods showed that the chemical analytical approach for steroidal estrogens resulted in more (76%) non-quantifiable data, i.e., concentrations were below detection limits, compared to the EBMs (28%). These results demonstrate the excellent and sensitive screening capability of EBMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eszter Simon
- Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Anja Duffek
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany
| | - Cordula Stahl
- Steinbeis-Innovationszentrum Zellkulturtechnik, c/o University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, Germany
| | - Manfred Frey
- Steinbeis-Innovationszentrum Zellkulturtechnik, c/o University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marco Scheurer
- TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (German Water Centre), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jochen Tuerk
- Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e. V. (IUTA, Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology), Duisburg, Germany
| | - Linda Gehrmann
- Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e. V. (IUTA, Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology), Duisburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Könemann
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Kees Swart
- BioDetection Systems B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Behnisch
- National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Daniel Olbrich
- Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Franҫois Brion
- State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Labour Directorate Section Chemicals and Work, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Selim Aït-Aïssa
- State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Labour Directorate Section Chemicals and Work, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Robert Pasanen-Kase
- State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Labour Directorate Section Chemicals and Work, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Inge Werner
- Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
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49
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Scholz S, Nichols JW, Escher BI, Ankley GT, Altenburger R, Blackwell B, Brack W, Burkhard L, Collette TW, Doering JA, Ekman D, Fay K, Fischer F, Hackermüller J, Hoffman JC, Lai C, Leuthold D, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Reemtsma T, Pollesch N, Schroeder A, Schüürmann G, von Bergen M. The Eco-Exposome Concept: Supporting an Integrated Assessment of Mixtures of Environmental Chemicals. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2022; 41:30-45. [PMID: 34714945 PMCID: PMC9104394 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Organisms are exposed to ever-changing complex mixtures of chemicals over the course of their lifetime. The need to more comprehensively describe this exposure and relate it to adverse health effects has led to formulation of the exposome concept in human toxicology. Whether this concept has utility in the context of environmental hazard and risk assessment has not been discussed in detail. In this Critical Perspective, we propose-by analogy to the human exposome-to define the eco-exposome as the totality of the internal exposure (anthropogenic and natural chemicals, their biotransformation products or adducts, and endogenous signaling molecules that may be sensitive to an anthropogenic chemical exposure) over the lifetime of an ecologically relevant organism. We describe how targeted and nontargeted chemical analyses and bioassays can be employed to characterize this exposure and discuss how the adverse outcome pathway concept could be used to link this exposure to adverse effects. Available methods, their limitations, and/or requirement for improvements for practical application of the eco-exposome concept are discussed. Even though analysis of the eco-exposome can be resource-intensive and challenging, new approaches and technologies make this assessment increasingly feasible. Furthermore, an improved understanding of mechanistic relationships between external chemical exposure(s), internal chemical exposure(s), and biological effects could result in the development of proxies, that is, relatively simple chemical and biological measurements that could be used to complement internal exposure assessment or infer the internal exposure when it is difficult to measure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:30-45. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Scholz
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Address correspondence to
| | - John W. Nichols
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany
| | - Gerald T. Ankley
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Rolf Altenburger
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Research, Biologie V, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Brett Blackwell
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Werner Brack
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lawrence Burkhard
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Timothy W. Collette
- Office of Research and Development, Ecosystem Processes Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, Georgia
| | - Jon A. Doering
- National Research Council, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Drew Ekman
- Office of Research and Development, Ecosystem Processes Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, Georgia
| | - Kellie Fay
- Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Risk Assessment Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
| | - Fabian Fischer
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Joel C. Hoffman
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | - Chih Lai
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - David Leuthold
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Nathan Pollesch
- Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Ecology and Toxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Duluth, Minnesota
| | | | - Gerrit Schüürmann
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universitat Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany
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50
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Wang J, Su G, Yan X, Zhang W, Jia J, Yan B. Predicting cytotoxicity of binary pollutants towards a human cell panel in environmental water by experimentation and deep learning methods. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 287:132324. [PMID: 34563777 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biological assays are useful in water quality evaluation by providing the overall toxicity of chemical mixtures in environmental waters. However, it is impossible to elucidate the source of toxicity and some lethal combination of pollutants simply using biological assays. As facile and cost-effective methods, computation model-based toxicity assessments are complementary technologies. Herein, we predicted the human health risk of binary pollutant mixtures (i.e., binary combinations of As(III), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Pb(II) and F(I)) in water using in vitro biological assays and deep learning methods. By employing a human cell panel containing human stomach, colon, liver, and kidney cell lines, we assessed the human health risk mimicking cellular responses after oral exposures of environmental water containing pollutants. Based on the experimental cytotoxicity data in pure water, multi-task deep learning was applied to predict cellular response of binary pollutant mixtures in environmental water. Using additive descriptors and single pollutant toxicity data in pure water, the established deep learning model could predict the toxicity of most binary mixtures in environmental water, with coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.65 and root mean squared error (RMSE) < 0.22. Further combining the experimental data on synergistic and antagonistic effects of pollutant mixtures, deep learning helped improve the predictive ability of the model (R2 > 0.74 and RMSE <0.17). Moreover, predictive models allowed us identify a number of toxicity source-related physiochemical properties. This study illustrates the combination of experimental findings and deep learning methods in the water quality evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Gaoxing Su
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Xiliang Yan
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jianbo Jia
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Bing Yan
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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