Female-specific reproductive toxicities following preconception exposure to xenobiotics

Toxicological assessment of industrial solvents using human cell bioassays: assessment of short-term cytotoxicity and long-term genotoxicity potential

There is an increasing demand for simple toxicological screening methods to assess the human health risk associated with exposure to environmental toxicants. Such screening tools should allow for risk evaluation in terms of both short-term/acute toxicity and longer-term genetic damage, which may lead to mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. We employed a battery of human cell bioassays using the human hepatoma cell-line, HepG2, to assess the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of environmental pollutants. Here, we demonstrate direct application of these human cell bioassays to the toxicological assessment of a number of industrial solvents that are in common use worldwide. HepG2 cells were exposed to various solvents at concentrations ranging from 25 to 500 ppm. The cells were then analysed using specific protocols for four different adverse effects: cell death/acute cytotoxicity using a neutral red uptake assay, altered enzyme function (often an indicator of cell stress) using the ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) bioassay, DNA single strand breaks (SSB), and DNA repair induction, which evaluates mutagenic activity. Using the positive controls, linear dose-response curves were achieved for all four bioassays. The high sensitivity of the tests allowed for environmentally meaningful assessments, and precision studies showed excellent reproducibility for all four bioassays. Comparing the results of the four bioassays on each of 16 industrial solvents allowed for ranking of the anticipated relative human toxicity of these solvents, which were comparable with data from standard toxicity tests and human occupational data. Overall, the study clearly supports the application of the HepG2 cell bioassay system for rapid toxicological screening of many candidate toxicants for both short- and long-term toxicity potential.

Chemotherapy-induced late transgenerational effects in mice

To our knowledge, there is no report on long-term reproductive and developmental side effects in the offspring of mothers treated with a widely used chemotherapeutic drug such as doxorubicin (DXR), and neither is there information on transmission of any detrimental effects to several filial generations. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper was to examine the long-term effects of a single intraperitoneal injection of DXR on the reproductive and behavioral performance of adult female mice and their progeny. C57BL/6 female mice (generation zero; G0) were treated with either a single intraperitoneal injection of DXR (G0-DXR) or saline (G0-CON). Data were collected on multiple reproductive parameters and behavioral analysis for anxiety, despair and depression. In addition, the reproductive capacity and health of the subsequent six generations were evaluated. G0-DXR females developed despair-like behaviors; delivery complications; decreased primordial follicle pool; and early lost of reproductive capacity. Surprisingly, the DXR-induced effects in oocytes were transmitted transgenerationally; the most striking effects being observed in G4 and G6, constituting: increased rates of neonatal death; physical malformations; chromosomal abnormalities (particularly deletions on chromosome 10); and death of mothers due to delivery complications. None of these effects were seen in control females of the same generations. Long-term effects of DXR in female mice and their offspring can be attributed to genetic alterations or cell-killing events in oocytes or, presumably, to toxicosis in non-ovarian tissues. Results from the rodent model emphasize the need for retrospective and long-term prospective studies of survivors of cancer treatment and their offspring.

Assessing human germ-cell mutagenesis in the Postgenome Era: a celebration of the legacy of William Lawson (Bill) Russell

Birth defects, de novo genetic diseases, and chromosomal abnormality syndromes occur in approximately 5% of all live births, and affected children suffer from a broad range of lifelong health consequences. Despite the social and medical impact of these defects, and the 8 decades of research in animal systems that have identified numerous germ-cell mutagens, no human germ-cell mutagen has been confirmed to date. There is now a growing consensus that the inability to detect human germ-cell mutagens is due to technological limitations in the detection of random mutations rather than biological differences between animal and human susceptibility. A multidisciplinary workshop responding to this challenge convened at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. The purpose of the workshop was to assess the applicability of an emerging repertoire of genomic technologies to studies of human germ-cell mutagenesis. Workshop participants recommended large-scale human germ-cell mutation studies be conducted using samples from donors with high-dose exposures, such as cancer survivors. Within this high-risk cohort, parents and children could be evaluated for heritable changes in (a) DNA sequence and chromosomal structure, (b) repeat sequences and minisatellites, and (c) global gene expression profiles and pathways. Participants also advocated the establishment of a bio-bank of human tissue samples from donors with well-characterized exposure, including medical and reproductive histories. This mutational resource could support large-scale, multiple-endpoint studies. Additional studies could involve the examination of transgenerational effects associated with changes in imprinting and methylation patterns, nucleotide repeats, and mitochondrial DNA mutations. The further development of animal models and the integration of these with human studies are necessary to provide molecular insights into the mechanisms of germ-cell mutations and to identify prevention strategies. Furthermore, scientific specialty groups should be convened to review and prioritize the evidence for germ-cell mutagenicity from common environmental, occupational, medical, and lifestyle exposures. Workshop attendees agreed on the need for a full-scale assault to address key fundamental questions in human germ-cell environmental mutagenesis. These include, but are not limited to, the following: Do human germ-cell mutagens exist? What are the risks to future generations? Are some parents at higher risk than others for acquiring and transmitting germ-cell mutations? Obtaining answers to these, and other critical questions, will require strong support from relevant funding agencies, in addition to the engagement of scientists outside the fields of genomics and germ-cell mutagenesis.