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Calabretta MM, Gregucci D, Guardigli M, Michelini E. Low-cost and sustainable smartphone-based tissue-on-chip device for bioluminescence biosensing. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 261:116454. [PMID: 38875866 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Several organ-on-chip and cell-on-chip devices have been reported, however, their main drawback is that they are not interoperable (i.e., they have been fabricated with customized equipment, thus cannot be applied in other facilities, unless having the same setup), and require cell-culture facilities and benchtop instrumentation. As a consequence, results obtained with such devices do not generally comply with the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR). To overcome such limitation, leveraging cost-effective 3D printing we developed a bioluminescent tissue on-a-chip device that can be easily implemented in any laboratory. The device enables continuous monitoring of cell co-cultures expressing different bioluminescent reporter proteins and, thanks to the implementation of new highly bioluminescent luciferases having high pH and thermal stability, can be monitored via smartphone camera. Another relevant feature is the possibility to insert the chip into a commercial 24-well plate for use with standard benchtop instrumentation. The suitability of this device for 3D cell-based biosensing for monitoring activation of target molecular pathways, i.e., the inflammatory pathway via nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation, and general cytotoxicity is here reported showing similar analytical performance when compared to conventional 3D cell-based assays performed in 24-well plates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Maddalena Calabretta
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy; Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Denise Gregucci
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy; Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Massimo Guardigli
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Michelini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy; Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, 40138, Bologna, Italy; Health Sciences and Technologies Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (HSTICIR), University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
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2
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Mohamed Noor MH, Ngadi N. Ecotoxicological risk assessment on coagulation-flocculation in water/wastewater treatment: a systematic review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:52631-52657. [PMID: 39177740 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34700-0] [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: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
It is undeniable that removal efficiency is the main factor in coagulation-flocculation (C-F) process for wastewater treatment. However, as far as environmental safety is concerned, the ecotoxicological aspect of the C-F process needs to be examined further. In this study, a systematic review was performed based on publications related to the toxicity research in C-F technology for wastewater treatment. Through a series of screening steps, available toxicity studies were categorized into four themes, namely acute toxicity, phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity, which comprised 48 articles. A compilation of the methodologies executed for each theme was also outlined. The findings show that conventional metallic coagulants (e.g., alum, iron chloride, and iron sulfate) were less toxic when tested on test species such as Daphnia magna (water flea), Lattuca sativa (lettuce), and animal cells compared to synthetic polymers. Natural coagulants such as chitosan or Moringa oleifera were less toxic compared to metallic coagulants; however, inconsistent results were observed. Moreover, an advanced C-F (electrocoagulation) as well as integration between C-F and Fenton, adsorption, and photocatalytic does not significantly change the toxicological profile of the system. It was found that diverse coagulants and flocculants, species sensitivity, complexity in toxicity testing, and dynamic environmental conditions were some key challenges faced in this field. Finally, it was expected that advances in technology, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a growing awareness of environmental sustainability will drive efforts to develop more effective and eco-friendly coagulants and flocculants, improve toxicity testing methodologies, and enhance the overall efficiency and safety of water and wastewater treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Hizam Mohamed Noor
- Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Norzita Ngadi
- Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
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3
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Chapman KE, Shah UK, Fletcher JF, Johnson GE, Doak SH, Jenkins GJS. An integrated in vitro carcinogenicity test that distinguishes between genotoxic carcinogens, non-genotoxic carcinogens, and non-carcinogens. Mutagenesis 2024; 39:69-77. [PMID: 38301659 DOI: 10.1093/mutage/geae004] [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: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemical safety testing plays a crucial role in product and pharmacological development, as well as chemoprevention; however, in vitro genotoxicity safety tests do not always accurately predict the chemicals that will be in vivo carcinogens. If chemicals test positive in vitro for genotoxicity but negative in vivo, this can contribute to unnecessary testing in animals used to confirm erroneous in vitro positive results. Current in vitro tests typically evaluate only genotoxicity endpoints, which limits their potential to detect non-genotoxic carcinogens. The frequency of misleading in vitro positive results can be high, leading to a requirement for more informative in vitro tests. It is now recognized that multiple-endpoint genotoxicity testing may aid more accurate detection of carcinogens and non-carcinogens. The objective of this review was to evaluate the utility of our novel, multiple-endpoint in vitro test, which uses multiple cancer-relevant endpoints to predict carcinogenic potential. The tool assessed micronucleus frequency, p53 expression, p21 expression, mitochondrial respiration, cell cycle abnormalities and, uniquely, cell morphology changes in human lymphoblastoid cell lines, TK6 and MCL-5. The endpoints were used to observe cellular responses to 18 chemicals within the following categories: genotoxic carcinogens, non-genotoxic carcinogens, toxic non-carcinogens, and misleading in vitro positive and negative agents. The number of endpoints significantly altered for each chemical was considered, alongside the holistic Integrated Signature of Carcinogenicity score, derived from the sum of fold changes for all endpoints. Following the calculation of an overall score from these measures, carcinogens exhibited greater potency than non-carcinogens. Genotoxic carcinogens were generally more potent than non-genotoxic carcinogens. This novel approach therefore demonstrated potential for correctly predicting whether chemicals with unknown mechanism may be considered carcinogens. Overall, while further validation is recommended, the test demonstrates potential for the identification of carcinogenic compounds. Adoption of the approach could enable reduced animal use in carcinogenicity testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Chapman
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Ume-Kulsoom Shah
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica F Fletcher
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - George E Johnson
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Shareen H Doak
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth J S Jenkins
- Institute of Life Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
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Henry J, Bai Y, Kreuder F, Mawdsley D, Kaslin J, Wlodkowic D. Methods: A bioinformatic protocol for rapid analysis of zebrafish embryo photo-motory responses (PMR) in neurotoxicity testing. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 277:109833. [PMID: 38218564 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Chemobehavioural phenotyping presents unique opportunities for analyzing neurotoxicants and discovering behavior-modifying neuroceuticals in small aquatic model organisms such as zebrafish (Danio rerio). A recently popularized approach in this field involves the utilization of zebrafish embryos for a photo-motor response (PMR) bioassay. The PMR bioassay entails stimulating zebrafish embryos between 24 and 36 h post fertilization (hpf) with a high-intensity light stimulus, inducing a transient increase in the frequency of photo-induced embryo body flexions. These flexions can be computationally analyzed to derive behavioral signatures, enabling the categorization of neuromodulating chemicals. Despite the significant advantages of the PMR bioassay, its widespread implementation is hindered by lack of well described and straightforward high-throughput bioinformatic analysis of behavioral data. In this methods article, we present an easily implementable bioinformatics protocol specifically designed for rapid behavioral analysis of large cohorts of zebrafish specimens in PMR bioassays. We also address common pitfalls encountered during PMR analysis, discuss its limitations, and propose future directions for developing next-generation biometric analysis techniques in chemobehavioural assays utilizing zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Henry
- The Neurotoxicology Laboratory, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Yutao Bai
- The Neurotoxicology Laboratory, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Florian Kreuder
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - David Mawdsley
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, VIC 3207, Australia
| | - Jan Kaslin
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Donald Wlodkowic
- The Neurotoxicology Laboratory, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia.
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Roell MS, Ott MC, Mair MM, Pamminger T. Missing Genomic Resources for the Next Generation of Environmental Risk Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:1877-1881. [PMID: 38245867 PMCID: PMC10832041 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08701] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Environmental risk assessment traditionally relies on a wide range of in vivo testing to assess the potential hazards of chemicals in the environment. These tests are often time-consuming and costly and can cause test organisms' suffering. Recent developments of reliable low-cost alternatives, both in vivo- and in silico-based, opened the door to reconsider current toxicity assessment. However, many of these new approach methodologies (NAMs) rely on high-quality annotated genomes for surrogate species of regulatory risk assessment. Currently, a lack of genomic information slows the process of NAM development. Here, we present a phylogenetically resolved overview of missing genomic resources for surrogate species within a regulatory ecotoxicological risk assessment. We call for an organized and systematic effort within the (regulatory) ecotoxicological community to provide these missing genomic resources. Further, we discuss the potential of a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape to enable a robust and nonanimal-reliant ecotoxicological risk assessment in the systems ecotoxicology era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc-Sven Roell
- R&D
Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim am Rhein 40789, Germany
| | | | - Magdalena M. Mair
- Bayreuth
Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), Bayreuth 95447, Germany
- Statistical
Ecotoxicology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | - Tobias Pamminger
- R&D
Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim am Rhein 40789, Germany
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Zhang J, Tao H, Shi J, Ge H, Li B, Wang Y, Zhang M, Li X. Deriving aquatic PNECs of endocrine disruption effects for PFOS and PFOA by combining species sensitivity weighted distributions and adverse outcome pathway networks. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 346:140583. [PMID: 37918539 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140583] [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: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as emerging endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pose adverse effects on aquatic organisms. Conventional ecological risk assessment (ERA) not fully considering the mode of toxicity action of PFOS and PFOA, may result in an underestimation of risks and confuse decision-makers. In the study, we developed species sensitivity weighted distribution (SSWD) models based on adverse outcome pathway (AOP) networks for deriving predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs). Three kinds of weighting criteria (intraspecies variation, trophic level abundance, and data quality) and weighted log-normal distribution methods were adopted. The developed models considered the inter/intraspecies variation and integrated nontraditional endpoints of endocrine-disrupting effects. The PNECs of endocrine disruption effects were derived as 2.52 μg/L (95% confidence intervals 0.667-9.85 μg/L) for PFOS and 18.7 μg/L (5.40-71.0 μg/L) for PFOA, which were more conservative than those derived from the SSD method and were comparable with the values in the literature based on the chronic toxicity data. For PFOS, the effect of growth and development was the most sensitive; however, for PFOA, the effect of reproduction was the most sensitive in the effects of growth and development, reproduction, biochemistry and genetics, and survival. The endocrine-disrupting effects of PFOS and PFOA are significant and need to be fully recognized in the ERA. This study provided an ERA framework that can improve the ecological relevance and reduce the uncertainty of PNECs of EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huanyu Tao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jianghong Shi
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Hui Ge
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Bin Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yunhe Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Mengtao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Reilly K, Ellis LJA, Davoudi HH, Supian S, Maia MT, Silva GH, Guo Z, Martinez DST, Lynch I. Daphnia as a model organism to probe biological responses to nanomaterials-from individual to population effects via adverse outcome pathways. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2023; 5:1178482. [PMID: 37124970 PMCID: PMC10140508 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1178482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of the cladoceran Daphnia as a model organism for ecotoxicity testing has been well-established since the 1980s. Daphnia have been increasingly used in standardised testing of chemicals as they are well characterised and show sensitivity to pollutants, making them an essential indicator species for environmental stress. The mapping of the genomes of D. pulex in 2012 and D. magna in 2017 further consolidated their utility for ecotoxicity testing, including demonstrating the responsiveness of the Daphnia genome to environmental stressors. The short lifecycle and parthenogenetic reproduction make Daphnia useful for assessment of developmental toxicity and adaption to stress. The emergence of nanomaterials (NMs) and their safety assessment has introduced some challenges to the use of standard toxicity tests which were developed for soluble chemicals. NMs have enormous reactive surface areas resulting in dynamic interactions with dissolved organic carbon, proteins and other biomolecules in their surroundings leading to a myriad of physical, chemical, biological, and macromolecular transformations of the NMs and thus changes in their bioavailability to, and impacts on, daphnids. However, NM safety assessments are also driving innovations in our approaches to toxicity testing, for both chemicals and other emerging contaminants such as microplastics (MPs). These advances include establishing more realistic environmental exposures via medium composition tuning including pre-conditioning by the organisms to provide relevant biomolecules as background, development of microfluidics approaches to mimic environmental flow conditions typical in streams, utilisation of field daphnids cultured in the lab to assess adaption and impacts of pre-exposure to pollution gradients, and of course development of mechanistic insights to connect the first encounter with NMs or MPs to an adverse outcome, via the key events in an adverse outcome pathway. Insights into these developments are presented below to inspire further advances and utilisation of these important organisms as part of an overall environmental risk assessment of NMs and MPs impacts, including in mixture exposure scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Reilly
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Laura-Jayne A. Ellis
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Hossein Hayat Davoudi
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Suffeiya Supian
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Marcella T. Maia
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Gabriela H. Silva
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Zhiling Guo
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Stéfani T. Martinez
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Iseult Lynch
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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