1
|
Frizzera D, Zanni V, Seffin E, de Miranda JR, Marroni F, Annoscia D, Nazzi F. Assessing lethal and sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees in a multifactorial context. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174892. [PMID: 39034005 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
The registration of novel pesticides that are subsequently banned because of their unexpected negative effects on non-target species can have a huge environmental impact. Therefore, the pre-emptive evaluation of the potential effects of new compounds is essential. To this aim both lethal and sublethal effects should be assessed in a realistic scenario including the other stressors that can interact with pesticides. However, laboratory studies addressing such interactive effects are rare, while standardized laboratory-based protocols focus on lethal effects and not on sub-lethal effects. We propose to assess both lethal and sublethal effects in a multifactorial context including the other stressors affecting the non-target species. We tested this approach by studying the impact on honey bees of the insecticide sulfoxaflor in combination with a common parasite, a sub-optimal temperature and food deprivation. We studied the survival and the transcriptome of honey bees, to assess both the lethal and the potential sublethal effects of the insecticide, respectively. With this method we show that a field realistic concentration of sulfoxaflor in food does not affect the survival of honey bees; however, the significant impact on some key genes indicates that sublethal effects are possible in a realistically complex scenario. Moreover, our results demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of a novel approach to hazard assessment considering the interactive effects of pesticides. We anticipate our approach to be a starting point for a paradigm shift in toxicology: from an unifactorial, mortality-centered assessment to a multifactorial, comprehensive approach. This is something of the utmost importance to preserve pollination, thus contributing to the sustainability of our food production system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Davide Frizzera
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Virginia Zanni
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Elisa Seffin
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Marroni
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Desiderato Annoscia
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Francesco Nazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Esquivel Gaytan A, Bomer N, Grote Beverborg N, van der Meer P. 404-error "Disease not found": Unleashing the translational potential of -omics approaches beyond traditional disease classification in heart failure research. Eur J Heart Fail 2024; 26:1313-1323. [PMID: 38741225 DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.3268] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The emergence of personalized medicine, facilitated by the progress in -omics technologies, has initiated a new era in medical diagnostics and treatment. This review examines the potential of -omics approaches in heart failure, a condition that has not yet fully capitalized on personalized strategies compared to other medical fields like cancer therapy. Here, we argue that integrating multi-omics technology with systems medicine approaches could fundamentally transform heart failure management, moving away from the traditional paradigm of 'one size fits all'. Our review examines how omics can enhance understanding of heart failure's molecular foundations and contribute to a more comprehensive disease classification. We draw attention to the current state of medical practice that only relies on clinical evidence and a number of standard laboratory tests. At the same time, we propose a shift towards a universal approach that uses quantitative data from multi-omics to unravel complex molecular interactions. The discussion centres around the potential of the transition as a means to enhance individual risk assessment and emphasizes management within clinical settings. While the use of omics in cardiovascular research is not recent, many past studies have focused only on a single omics approach. In order to achieve a better understanding of disease mechanisms, we explore more holistic approaches using genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics. This review concludes with a call to action to adopt multi-omics in clinical trials and practice to pave the way for more personalized disease management and more effective heart failure interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Esquivel Gaytan
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nils Bomer
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Niels Grote Beverborg
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter van der Meer
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stobernack T, Dommershausen N, Alcolea-Rodríguez V, Ledwith R, Bañares MA, Haase A, Pink M, Dumit VI. Advancing Nanomaterial Toxicology Screening Through Efficient and Cost-Effective Quantitative Proteomics. SMALL METHODS 2024:e2400420. [PMID: 38813751 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202400420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Proteomic investigations yield high-dimensional datasets, yet their application to large-scale toxicological assessments is hindered by reproducibility challenges due to fluctuating measurement conditions. To address these limitations, this study introduces an advanced tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling protocol. Although labeling approaches shorten data acquisition time by multiplexing samples compared to traditional label-free quantification (LFQ) methods in general, the associated costs may surge significantly with large sample sets, for example, in toxicological screenings. However, the introduced advanced protocol offers an efficient, cost-effective alternative, reducing TMT reagent usage (by a factor of ten) and requiring minimal biological material (1 µg), while demonstrating increased reproducibility compared to LFQ. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the advanced protocol is employed to assess the toxicity of nine benchmark nanomaterials (NMs) on A549 lung epithelial cells. While LFQ measurements identify 3300 proteins, they proved inadequate to reveal NM toxicity. Conversely, despite detecting 2600 proteins, the TMT protocol demonstrates superior sensitivity by uncovering alterations induced by NM treatment. In contrast to previous studies, the introduced advanced protocol allows simultaneous and straightforward assessment of multiple test substances, enabling prioritization, ranking, and grouping for hazard evaluation. Additionally, it fosters the development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), contributing to innovative methodologies in toxicological research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Stobernack
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nils Dommershausen
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Víctor Alcolea-Rodríguez
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
- Spanish National Research Council - Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (ICP-CSIC), Spectroscopy and Industrial Catalysis group, Marie Curie, 2, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Rico Ledwith
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miguel A Bañares
- Spanish National Research Council - Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (ICP-CSIC), Spectroscopy and Industrial Catalysis group, Marie Curie, 2, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Andrea Haase
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Pink
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Verónica I Dumit
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lan Y, Gao X, Xu H, Li M. 20 years of polybrominated diphenyl ethers on toxicity assessments. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:121007. [PMID: 38096726 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.121007] [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: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) serve as brominated flame retardants which continue to receive considerable attention because of their persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential toxicity. Although PBDEs have been restricted and phased out, large amounts of commercial products containing PBDEs are still in use and discarded annually. Consequently, PBDEs added to products can be released into our surrounding environments, particularly in aquatic systems, thus posing great risks to human health. Many studies and reviews have described the possible toxic effects of PBDEs, while few studies have comprehensively summarized and analyzed the global trends of their toxicity assessment. Therefore, this study utilizes bibliometrics to evaluate the worldwide scientific output of PBDE toxicity and analyze the hotspots and future trends of this field. Firstly, the basic information including the most contributing countries/institutions, journals, co-citations, influential authors, and keywords involved in PBDE toxicity assessment will be visualized. Subsequently, the potential toxicity of PBDE exposure to diverse systems, such as endocrine, reproductive, neural, and gastrointestinal tract systems, and related toxic mechanisms will be discussed. Finally, we conclude this review by outlining the current challenges and future perspectives in environmentally relevant PBDE exposure, potential carriers for PBDE transport, the fate of PBDEs in the environment and human bodies, advanced stem cell-derived organoid models for toxicity assessment, and promising omics technologies for obtaining toxic mechanisms. This review is expected to offer systematical insights into PBDE toxicity assessments and facilitate the development of PBDE-based research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Lan
- Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China; State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Xue Gao
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - Haiwei Xu
- Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China.
| | - Minghui Li
- Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China; Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chris DI, Wokeh OK, Téllez-Isaías G, Kari ZA, Azra MN. Ecotoxicity of commonly used oilfield-based emulsifiers on Guinean Tilapia ( Tilapia guineensis) using histopathology and behavioral alterations as protocol. Sci Prog 2024; 107:368504241231663. [PMID: 38490166 PMCID: PMC10943731 DOI: 10.1177/00368504241231663] [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] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
This study examined the histological aberrations in the gill and liver tissues and behavioural changes of Tilapia guineensis fingerlings exposed to lethal concentrations of used Oilfield-based emulsifiers for 96 h. Various concentrations of the surfactants were tested, ranging from 0.0 to 15.0 ml/L. The behaviour of the fish was observed throughout the experiment, and the results showed that increasing concentrations of the surfactants led to progressively abnormal behaviour, including hyperventilation and altered opercular beat frequency. These behavioural changes indicated respiratory distress and neurotoxic effects. Histological analysis revealed structural aberrations in the gill and liver tissues, with higher concentrations causing more severe damage, such as lesions, necrosis, inflammation, and cellular degeneration. This implies that surfactants released even at low concentrations are capable of inducing changes in the tissues of aquatic organisms. These findings highlight the toxic effects of the surfactants on fish health and provide biomarkers of toxicity. Future research should focus on understanding the specific mechanisms and long-term consequences of surfactant toxicity on fish genetic composition, populations, and ecosystems to implement effective conservation measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Davies Ibienebo Chris
- World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence, Centre for Oilfield Chemicals Research, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria
- Department of Fisheries, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria
| | - Okechukwu Kenneth Wokeh
- Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria
| | | | - Zulhisyam Abdul Kari
- Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agro-Based Industry, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Nor Azra
- Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
- Research Center for Marine and Land Bioindustry (Earth Sciences and Maritime), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Pemenang, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rabotnick MH, Ehlinger J, Haidari A, Goodrich JM. Prenatal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals: The role of multi-omics in understanding toxicity. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2023; 578:112046. [PMID: 37598796 PMCID: PMC10592024 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a diverse group of toxicants detected in populations globally. Prenatal EDC exposures impact birth and childhood outcomes. EDCs work through persistent changes at the molecular, cellular, and organ level. Molecular and biochemical signals or 'omics' can be measured at various functional levels - including the epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and the microbiome. In this narrative review, we introduce each omics and give examples of associations with prenatal EDC exposures. There is substantial research on epigenomic modifications in offspring exposed to EDCs during gestation, and a growing number of studies evaluating the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, or microbiome in response to these exposures. Multi-omics, integrating data across omics layers, may improve understanding of disrupted function pathways related to early life exposures. We highlight several data integration methods to consider in multi-omics studies. Information from multi-omics can improve understanding of the biological processes and mechanisms underlying prenatal EDC toxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret H Rabotnick
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jessa Ehlinger
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ariana Haidari
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jaclyn M Goodrich
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
del Giudice G, Migliaccio G, D’Alessandro N, Saarimäki LA, Torres Maia M, Annala ME, Leppänen J, Mӧbus L, Pavel A, Vaani M, Vallius A, Ylä‐Outinen L, Greco D, Serra A. Advancing chemical safety assessment through an omics-based characterization of the test system-chemical interaction. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2023; 5:1294780. [PMID: 38026842 PMCID: PMC10673692 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1294780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Assessing chemical safety is essential to evaluate the potential risks of chemical exposure to human health and the environment. Traditional methods relying on animal testing are being replaced by 3R (reduction, refinement, and replacement) principle-based alternatives, mainly depending on in vitro test methods and the Adverse Outcome Pathway framework. However, these approaches often focus on the properties of the compound, missing the broader chemical-biological interaction perspective. Currently, the lack of comprehensive molecular characterization of the in vitro test system results in limited real-world representation and contextualization of the toxicological effect under study. Leveraging omics data strengthens the understanding of the responses of different biological systems, emphasizing holistic chemical-biological interactions when developing in vitro methods. Here, we discuss the relevance of meticulous test system characterization on two safety assessment relevant scenarios and how omics-based, data-driven approaches can improve the future generation of alternative methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giusy del Giudice
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Giorgia Migliaccio
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Nicoletta D’Alessandro
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Aliisa Saarimäki
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marcella Torres Maia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Maria Emilia Annala
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jenni Leppänen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Lena Mӧbus
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Alisa Pavel
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Maaret Vaani
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anna Vallius
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Ylä‐Outinen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Dario Greco
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Angela Serra
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE), Tampere, Finland
- BioMediTech Unit, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Narduzzi L, Hernández-Mesa M, Vincent P, Guitton Y, García-Campaña AM, Le Bizec B, Dervilly G. Deeper insights into the effects of low dietary levels of polychlorinated biphenyls on pig metabolism using gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry metabolomics. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 341:140048. [PMID: 37660801 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of contaminants of great concern, linked to the development of many chronic diseases. Adverse effects of PCBs have been documented in humans after accidental and massive exposure. However, little is known about the effect of chronic exposure to low-dose PCB mixtures, and studies regarding scattered lifetime exposures to non-dioxin-like (NDL)-PCBs are especially missing. In this work, serum samples from pigs chronically exposed through their diet during 22 days to Aroclor 1260 (i.e. a commercially available mixture of NDL-PCBs) underwent a metabolomics analysis using gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS), with the objective to investigate the effect of exposure to low doses of NDL-PCBs (few ng/kg body weight (b.w.) per day). The study showed that the serum profiles of 84 metabolites are significantly altered by the administration of Aroclor 1260, of which 40 could be identified at level 1. The aggregate interpretation of the results of this study, together with the outcome of a previous one involving LC-HRMS profiling, provided a substantial and concise overview of the effect of low dose exposure to NDL-PCBs, reflecting the hepatotoxic and neurotoxic effects already reported in literature at higher and longer exposures. These results are intended to contribute to the debate on the current toxicological reference values for these substances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Narduzzi
- Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, 44300, France; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuentenueva s/n, Granada, E-18071, Spain
| | - Maykel Hernández-Mesa
- Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, 44300, France; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuentenueva s/n, Granada, E-18071, Spain.
| | | | | | - Ana M García-Campaña
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuentenueva s/n, Granada, E-18071, Spain
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chaousis S, Leusch FDL, Nouwens A, Melvin SD, van de Merwe JP. Influence of chemical dose and exposure duration on protein synthesis in green sea turtle primary cells. J Proteomics 2023; 285:104942. [PMID: 37285907 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the impacts of chemical exposure in marine wildlife is challenging, due to practical and ethical constraints that preclude traditional toxicology research on these animals. This study addressed some of these limitations by presenting an ethical and high throughput cell-based approach to elucidate molecular-level effects of contaminants on sea turtles. The experimental design addressed basic questions of cell-based toxicology, including chemical dose and exposure time. Primary green turtle skin cells were exposed to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 153 and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) for 24 and 48 h, at three sub-lethal, environmentally relevant concentrations (1, 10 and 100 μg/L). Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH-MS) identified over 1000 differentially abundant proteins within the 1% false discovery rate (FDR) threshold. The 24 h exposure resulted in a greater number of differentially abundant proteins, compared to 48 h exposure, for both contaminants. However, there were no statistically significant dose-response relationships for the number of differentially synthesised proteins, nor differences in the proportion of increased vs decreased proteins between or within exposure times. Known in vivo markers of contaminant exposure, superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase, were differentially abundant following exposure to PCB153 and PFNA. SIGNIFICANCE: Cell-based (in vitro) proteomics provides an ethical and high throughput approach to understanding the impacts of chemical contamination on sea turtles. Through investigating effects of chemical dose and exposure duration on unique protein abundance in vitro, this study provides an optimised framework for conducting cell-based studies in wildlife proteomics, and highlights that proteins detected in vitro could act as biomarkers of chemical exposure and effect in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Chaousis
- Griffith School of Science and Environment and the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Univeristy, Building 51, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Griffith School of Science and Environment and the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Univeristy, Building 51, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Amanda Nouwens
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland, Building 76, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Steven D Melvin
- Griffith School of Science and Environment and the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Univeristy, Building 51, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Jason P van de Merwe
- Griffith School of Science and Environment and the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Univeristy, Building 51, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gant TW, Auerbach SS, Von Bergen M, Bouhifd M, Botham PA, Caiment F, Currie RA, Harrill J, Johnson K, Li D, Rouquie D, van Ravenzwaay B, Sistare F, Tralau T, Viant MR, van de Laan JW, Yauk C. Applying genomics in regulatory toxicology: a report of the ECETOC workshop on omics threshold on non-adversity. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:2291-2302. [PMID: 37296313 PMCID: PMC10322787 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03522-3] [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: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In a joint effort involving scientists from academia, industry and regulatory agencies, ECETOC's activities in Omics have led to conceptual proposals for: (1) A framework that assures data quality for reporting and inclusion of Omics data in regulatory assessments; and (2) an approach to robustly quantify these data, prior to interpretation for regulatory use. In continuation of these activities this workshop explored and identified areas of need to facilitate robust interpretation of such data in the context of deriving points of departure (POD) for risk assessment and determining an adverse change from normal variation. ECETOC was amongst the first to systematically explore the application of Omics methods, now incorporated into the group of methods known as New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), to regulatory toxicology. This support has been in the form of both projects (primarily with CEFIC/LRI) and workshops. Outputs have led to projects included in the workplan of the Extended Advisory Group on Molecular Screening and Toxicogenomics (EAGMST) group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and to the drafting of OECD Guidance Documents for Omics data reporting, with potentially more to follow on data transformation and interpretation. The current workshop was the last in a series of technical methods development workshops, with a sub-focus on the derivation of a POD from Omics data. Workshop presentations demonstrated that Omics data developed within robust frameworks for both scientific data generation and analysis can be used to derive a POD. The issue of noise in the data was discussed as an important consideration for identifying robust Omics changes and deriving a POD. Such variability or "noise" can comprise technical or biological variation within a dataset and should clearly be distinguished from homeostatic responses. Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) were considered a useful framework on which to assemble Omics methods, and a number of case examples were presented in illustration of this point. What is apparent is that high dimension data will always be subject to varying processing pipelines and hence interpretation, depending on the context they are used in. Yet, they can provide valuable input for regulatory toxicology, with the pre-condition being robust methods for the collection and processing of data together with a comprehensive description how the data were interpreted, and conclusions reached.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy W Gant
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency, Harwell Science Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
- Imperial College London School of Public Health, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Scott S Auerbach
- Division of Translational Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, RTP, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Martin Von Bergen
- Department for Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Florian Caiment
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Joshua Harrill
- Cellular and Molecular Toxicologist, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kamin Johnson
- Predictive Safety Center, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Dongying Li
- National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA
| | - David Rouquie
- Bayer SAS, Bayer Crop Science, 355 Rue Dostoïevski, CS 90153, 06906, Valbonne Sophia-Antipolis, France
| | | | | | - Tewes Tralau
- Department of Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark R Viant
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Carole Yauk
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Cecchetto M, Peruzza L, Giubilato E, Bernardini I, Rovere GD, Marcomini A, Regoli F, Bargelloni L, Patarnello T, Semenzin E, Milan M. An innovative index to incorporate transcriptomic data into weight of evidence approaches for environmental risk assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 227:115745. [PMID: 36972774 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The sharp decrease in the cost of RNA-sequencing and the rapid improvement in computational analysis of eco-toxicogenomic data have brought new insights into the adverse effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms. Yet, transcriptomics is generally applied qualitatively in environmental risk assessments, hampering more effective exploitation of this evidence through multidisciplinary studies. In view of this limitation, a methodology is here presented to quantitatively elaborate transcriptional data in support to environmental risk assessment. The proposed methodology makes use of results from the application of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis to recent studies investigating the response of Mytilus galloprovincialis and Ruditapes philippinarum exposed to contaminants of emerging concern. The degree of changes in gene sets and the relevance of physiological reactions are integrated in the calculation of a hazard index. The outcome is then classified according to five hazard classes (from absent to severe), providing an evaluation of whole-transcriptome effects of chemical exposure. The application to experimental and simulated datasets proved that the method can effectively discriminate different levels of altered transcriptomic responses when compared to expert judgement (Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.96). A further application to data collected in two independent studies of Salmo trutta and Xenopus tropicalis exposed to contaminants confirmed the potential extension of the methodology to other aquatic species. This methodology can serve as a proof of concept for the integration of "genomic tools" in environmental risk assessment based on multidisciplinary investigations. To this end, the proposed transcriptomic hazard index can now be incorporated into quantitative Weight of Evidence approaches and weighed, with results from other types of analysis, to elucidate the role of chemicals in adverse ecological effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Cecchetto
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, via Torino 155, 30172, Mestre-Venezia, Italy
| | - Luca Peruzza
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Elisa Giubilato
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, via Torino 155, 30172, Mestre-Venezia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Bernardini
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Dalla Rovere
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Antonio Marcomini
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, via Torino 155, 30172, Mestre-Venezia, Italy
| | - Francesco Regoli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy; NFBC, National Future Biodiversity Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Luca Bargelloni
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Tomaso Patarnello
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Elena Semenzin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, via Torino 155, 30172, Mestre-Venezia, Italy.
| | - Massimo Milan
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy; NFBC, National Future Biodiversity Center, Palermo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bahl A, Ibrahim C, Plate K, Haase A, Dengjel J, Nymark P, Dumit VI. PROTEOMAS: a workflow enabling harmonized proteomic meta-analysis and proteomic signature mapping. J Cheminform 2023; 15:34. [PMID: 36935498 PMCID: PMC10024914 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-023-00710-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxicological evaluation of substances in regulation still often relies on animal experiments. Understanding the substances' mode-of-action is crucial to develop alternative test strategies. Omics methods are promising tools to achieve this goal. Until now, most attention was focused on transcriptomics, while proteomics is not yet routinely applied in toxicology despite the large number of datasets available in public repositories. Exploiting the full potential of these datasets is hampered by differences in measurement procedures and follow-up data processing. Here we present the tool PROTEOMAS, which allows meta-analysis of proteomic data from public origin. The workflow was designed for analyzing proteomic studies in a harmonized way and to ensure transparency in the analysis of proteomic data for regulatory purposes. It agrees with the Omics Reporting Framework guidelines of the OECD with the intention to integrate proteomics to other omic methods in regulatory toxicology. The overarching aim is to contribute to the development of AOPs and to understand the mode of action of substances. To demonstrate the robustness and reliability of our workflow we compared our results to those of the original studies. As a case study, we performed a meta-analysis of 25 proteomic datasets to investigate the toxicological effects of nanomaterials at the lung level. PROTEOMAS is an important contribution to the development of alternative test strategies enabling robust meta-analysis of proteomic data. This workflow commits to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) of computational protocols.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aileen Bahl
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Celine Ibrahim
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Kristina Plate
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Haase
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Penny Nymark
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Verónica I Dumit
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Identifying multiscale translational safety biomarkers using a network-based systems approach. iScience 2023; 26:106094. [PMID: 36895646 PMCID: PMC9988559 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal testing is the current standard for drug and chemicals safety assessment, but hazards translation to human is uncertain. Human in vitro models can address the species translation but might not replicate in vivo complexity. Herein, we propose a network-based method addressing these translational multiscale problems that derives in vivo liver injury biomarkers applicable to in vitro human early safety screening. We applied weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to a large rat liver transcriptomic dataset to obtain co-regulated gene clusters (modules). We identified modules statistically associated with liver pathologies, including a module enriched for ATF4-regulated genes as associated with the occurrence of hepatocellular single-cell necrosis, and as preserved in human liver in vitro models. Within the module, we identified TRIB3 and MTHFD2 as a novel candidate stress biomarkers, and developed and used BAC-eGFPHepG2 reporters in a compound screening, identifying compounds showing ATF4-dependent stress response and potential early safety signals.
Collapse
|
14
|
Song Y, Zheng K, Brede DA, Gomes T, Xie L, Kassaye Y, Salbu B, Tollefsen KE. Multiomics Point of Departure (moPOD) Modeling Supports an Adverse Outcome Pathway Network for Ionizing Radiation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:3198-3205. [PMID: 36799527 PMCID: PMC9979642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
While adverse biological effects of acute high-dose ionizing radiation have been extensively investigated, knowledge on chronic low-dose effects is scarce. The aims of the present study were to identify hazards of low-dose ionizing radiation to Daphnia magna using multiomics dose-response modeling and to demonstrate the use of omics data to support an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) network development for ionizing radiation. Neonatal D. magna were exposed to γ radiation for 8 days. Transcriptomic analysis was performed after 4 and 8 days of exposure, whereas metabolomics and confirmative bioassays to support the omics analyses were conducted after 8 days of exposure. Benchmark doses (BMDs, 10% benchmark response) as points of departure (PODs) were estimated for both dose-responsive genes/metabolites and the enriched KEGG pathways. Relevant pathways derived using the BMD modeling and additional functional end points measured by the bioassays were overlaid with a previously published AOP network. The results showed that several molecular pathways were highly relevant to the known modes of action of γ radiation, including oxidative stress, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, protein degradation, and apoptosis. The functional assays showed increased oxidative stress and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP pool. Ranking of PODs at the pathway and functional levels showed that oxidative damage related functions had relatively low PODs, followed by DNA damage, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. These were supportive of causal events in the proposed AOP network. This approach yielded promising results and can potentially provide additional empirical evidence to support further AOP development for ionizing radiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- You Song
- Norwegian
Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Keke Zheng
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Faculty
of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Dag Anders Brede
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Faculty
of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Tânia Gomes
- Norwegian
Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Li Xie
- Norwegian
Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Yetneberk Kassaye
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Faculty
of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Brit Salbu
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Faculty
of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Knut Erik Tollefsen
- Norwegian
Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway
- Centre
for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Faculty
of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Fragki S, Louisse J, Bokkers B, Luijten M, Peijnenburg A, Rijkers D, Piersma AH, Zeilmaker MJ. New approach methodologies: A quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation case study with PFASs. Food Chem Toxicol 2023; 172:113559. [PMID: 36535450 PMCID: PMC9890272 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
PER: and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been associated with increased blood lipids in humans. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been also linked with elevated alanine transferase (ALT) serum levels in humans, and in rodents the liver is a main target organ for many PFASs. With the focus on New Approach Methodologies, the chronic oral equivalent effect doses were calculated for PFOA, PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid), PFHxS (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) based on in vitro effects measured in the HepaRG cell line. Selected in vitro readouts were considered biomarkers for lipid disturbances and hepatotoxicity. Concentration-response data obtained from HepaRG cells on triglyceride (TG) accumulation and expression changes of 12 selected genes (some involved in cholesterol homeostasis) were converted into corresponding human dose-response data, using physiologically based kinetic (PBK) model-facilitated reverse dosimetry. Next to this, the biokinetics of the chemicals were studied in the cell system. The current European dietary PFASs exposure overlaps with the calculated oral equivalent effect doses, indicating that the latter may lead to interference with hepatic gene expression and lipid metabolism. These findings illustrate an in vitro-in silico methodology, which can be applied for more PFASs, to select those that should be prioritized for further hazard characterization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Styliani Fragki
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands,Corresponding author.
| | - Jochem Louisse
- Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Bas Bokkers
- Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Luijten
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Ad Peijnenburg
- Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Deborah Rijkers
- Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Aldert H. Piersma
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands,Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80178, 3508 TD, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marco J. Zeilmaker
- Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Derivation of metabolic point of departure using high-throughput in vitro metabolomics: investigating the importance of sampling time points on benchmark concentration values in the HepaRG cell line. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:721-735. [PMID: 36683062 PMCID: PMC9968698 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03439-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Amongst omics technologies, metabolomics should have particular value in regulatory toxicology as the measurement of the molecular phenotype is the closest to traditional apical endpoints, whilst offering mechanistic insights into the biological perturbations. Despite this, the application of untargeted metabolomics for point-of-departure (POD) derivation via benchmark concentration (BMC) modelling is still a relatively unexplored area. In this study, a high-throughput workflow was applied to derive PODs associated with a chemical exposure by measuring the intracellular metabolome of the HepaRG cell line following treatment with one of four chemicals (aflatoxin B1, benzo[a]pyrene, cyclosporin A, or rotenone), each at seven concentrations (aflatoxin B1, benzo[a]pyrene, cyclosporin A: from 0.2048 μM to 50 μM; rotenone: from 0.04096 to 10 μM) and five sampling time points (2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h). The study explored three approaches to derive PODs using benchmark concentration modelling applied to single features in the metabolomics datasets or annotated metabolites or lipids: (1) the 1st rank-ordered unannotated feature, (2) the 1st rank-ordered putatively annotated feature (using a recently developed HepaRG-specific library of polar metabolites and lipids), and (3) 25th rank-ordered feature, demonstrating that for three out of four chemical datasets all of these approaches led to relatively consistent BMC values, varying less than tenfold across the methods. In addition, using the 1st rank-ordered unannotated feature it was possible to investigate temporal trends in the datasets, which were shown to be chemical specific. Furthermore, a possible integration of metabolomics-driven POD derivation with the liver steatosis adverse outcome pathway (AOP) was demonstrated. The study highlights that advances in technologies enable application of in vitro metabolomics at scale; however, greater confidence in metabolite identification is required to ensure PODs are mechanistically anchored.
Collapse
|
17
|
Nam SE, Bae DY, Ki JS, Ahn CY, Rhee JS. The importance of multi-omics approaches for the health assessment of freshwater ecosystems. Mol Cell Toxicol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13273-022-00286-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
|
18
|
Azimzadeh O, Moertl S, Ramadan R, Baselet B, Laiakis EC, Sebastian S, Beaton D, Hartikainen JM, Kaiser JC, Beheshti A, Salomaa S, Chauhan V, Hamada N. Application of radiation omics in the development of adverse outcome pathway networks: an example of radiation-induced cardiovascular disease. Int J Radiat Biol 2022; 98:1722-1751. [PMID: 35976069 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2022.2110325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have indicated that exposure of the heart to doses of ionizing radiation as low as 0.5 Gy increases the risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality with a latency period of decades. The damaging effects of radiation to myocardial and endothelial structures and functions have been confirmed radiobiologically at high dose, but much less is known at low dose. Integration of radiation biology and epidemiology data is a recommended approach to improve the radiation risk assessment process. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework offers a comprehensive tool to compile and translate mechanistic information into pathological endpoints which may be relevant for risk assessment at the different levels of a biological system. Omics technologies enable the generation of large volumes of biological data at various levels of complexity, from molecular pathways to functional organisms. Given the quality and quantity of available data across levels of biology, omics data can be attractive sources of information for use within the AOP framework. It is anticipated that radiation omics studies could improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the adverse effects of radiation on the cardiovascular system. In this review, we explored the available omics studies on radiation-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD) and their applicability to the proposed AOP for CVD. RESULTS The results of 80 omics studies published on radiation-induced CVD over the past 20 years have been discussed in the context of the AOP of CVD proposed by Chauhan et al. Most of the available omics data on radiation-induced CVD are from proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, whereas few datasets were available from epigenomics and multi-omics. The omics data presented here show great promise in providing information for several key events of the proposed AOP of CVD, particularly oxidative stress, alterations of energy metabolism, extracellular matrix and vascular remodeling. CONCLUSIONS The omics data presented here shows promise to inform the various levels of the proposed AOP of CVD. However, the data highlight the urgent need of designing omics studies to address the knowledge gap concerning different radiation scenarios, time after exposure and experimental models. This review presents the evidence to build a qualitative omics-informed AOP and provides views on the potential benefits and challenges in using omics data to assess risk-related outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Omid Azimzadeh
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Section Radiation Biology, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Simone Moertl
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Section Radiation Biology, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Raghda Ramadan
- Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Bjorn Baselet
- Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Evagelia C Laiakis
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | | | | | - Jaana M Hartikainen
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, and Translational Cancer Research Area, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jan Christian Kaiser
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, Institute of Radiation Medicine (HMGU-IRM), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Afshin Beheshti
- KBR, Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.,Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Sisko Salomaa
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Vinita Chauhan
- Environmental Health Science Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nobuyuki Hamada
- Biology and Environmental Chemistry Division, Sustainable System Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Komae, Tokyo 201-8511, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
There is a need for paradigm change in the methodology employed for toxicological testing and assessment. It could be said that this change is well on its way, through an evolutionary progress analogous to that of natural selection. Darwin's Theory of Evolution has defined the idea of evolution and descendancy since the last third of the 19th century. Increasingly, this concept of 'evolution' is being applied beyond the field of biology. This Comment article discusses the progress of toxicological testing in the context of 'evolutionary pressure' and deliberates how this process can help foster the development, implementation and acceptance of mechanistic and human-relevant methods in this field. By comparing the current regulatory landscape in toxicity testing and assessment to specific elements in Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, we aim to better understand the needs and requirements for the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Landsiedel
- 5184BASF SE, Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
- Free University of Berlin, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Barbara Birk
- 5184BASF SE, Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - Dorothee Funk-Weyer
- 5184BASF SE, Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
A bioinformatics framework for targeted gene expression assay design: Application to in vitro developmental neurotoxicity screening in a rat model. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2022; 133:105211. [PMID: 35724854 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Brain development involves a series of intricately choreographed neuronal differentiation and maturation steps that are acutely vulnerable to interferences from chemical exposures. Many genes involved in neurodevelopmental processes show evolutionarily conserved expression patterns in mammals and may constitute useful indicators/biomarkers for the evaluation of potential developmental neurotoxicity. Based on these premises, this study developed a bioinformatics framework to guide the design of a gene expression-based in vitro developmental neurotoxicity assay targeting evolutionary conserved genes associated with neuronal differentiation and maturation in rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs). Rat, mouse and human genes involved in neurodevelopment and presenting one-to-one orthology were selected and orthologous exons within these genes were identified. PCR primer sets were designed within these orthologous exons and their specificity was evaluated in silico. The performance and specificity of rat, mouse and human PCR primer sets were then confirmed experimentally. Finally, RT-qPCR analyses in CGCs exposed in vitro to well-known neurotoxicants (Chlorpyrifos and Chlorpyrifos oxon) uncovered perturbations of expression levels for most of the selected genes. This bioinformatics framework for gene and target sequence selection may facilitate the identification of transcriptional biomarkers for developmental neurotoxicity assays and the comparison of gene expression data across experimental models from different mammalian species.
Collapse
|
21
|
Sprenger H, Kreuzer K, Alarcan J, Herrmann K, Buchmüller J, Marx-Stoelting P, Braeuning A. Use of transcriptomics in hazard identification and next generation risk assessment: A case study with clothianidin. Food Chem Toxicol 2022; 166:113212. [PMID: 35690182 PMCID: PMC9339662 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Toxicological risk assessment is essential in the evaluation and authorization of different classes of chemical substances. Genotoxicity and mutagenicity testing are of highest priority and rely on established in vitro systems with bacterial and mammalian cells, sometimes followed by in vivo testing using rodent animal models. Transcriptomic approaches have recently also shown their value to determine transcript signatures specific for genotoxicity. Here, we studied how transcriptomic data, in combination with in vitro tests with human cells, can be used for the identification of genotoxic properties of test compounds. To this end, we used liver samples from a 28-day oral toxicity study in rats with the pesticidal active substances imazalil, thiacloprid, and clothianidin, a neonicotinoid-type insecticide with, amongst others, known hepatotoxic properties. Transcriptomic results were bioinformatically evaluated and pointed towards a genotoxic potential of clothianidin. In vitro Comet and γH2AX assays in human HepaRG hepatoma cells, complemented by in silico analyses of mutagenicity, were conducted as follow-up experiments to check if the genotoxicity alert from the transcriptomic study is in line with results from a battery of guideline genotoxicity studies. Our results illustrate the combined use of toxicogenomics, classic toxicological data and new approach methods in risk assessment. By means of a weight-of-evidence decision, we conclude that clothianidin does most likely not pose genotoxic risks to humans. Analysis of clothianidin genotoxicity in silico, in vitro and in vivo. Application of a toxicogenomics approach to analyze genotoxicity. Weight-of-evidence decision supports classification as “non-genotoxic”.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heike Sprenger
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Food Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katrin Kreuzer
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Food Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jimmy Alarcan
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Food Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kristin Herrmann
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Pesticides Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Buchmüller
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Food Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philip Marx-Stoelting
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Pesticides Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - Albert Braeuning
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Dept. Food Safety, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
R-ODAF: Omics data analysis framework for regulatory application. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2022; 131:105143. [PMID: 35247516 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite the widespread use of transcriptomics technologies in toxicology research, acceptance of the data by regulatory agencies to support the hazard assessment is still limited. Fundamental issues contributing to this are the lack of reproducibility in transcriptomics data analysis arising from variance in the methods used to generate data and differences in the data processing. While research applications are flexible in the way the data are generated and interpreted, this is not the case for regulatory applications where an unambiguous answer, possibly later subject to legal scrutiny, is required. A reference analysis framework would give greater credibility to the data and allow the practitioners to justify their use of an alternative bioinformatic process by referring to a standard. In this publication, we propose a method called omics data analysis framework for regulatory application (R-ODAF), which has been built as a user-friendly pipeline to analyze raw transcriptomics data from microarray and next-generation sequencing. In the R-ODAF, we also propose additional statistical steps to remove the number of false positives obtained from standard data analysis pipelines for RNA-sequencing. We illustrate the added value of R-ODAF, compared to a standard workflow, using a typical toxicogenomics dataset of hepatocytes exposed to paracetamol.
Collapse
|
23
|
Barton-Maclaren TS, Wade M, Basu N, Bayen S, Grundy J, Marlatt V, Moore R, Parent L, Parrott J, Grigorova P, Pinsonnault-Cooper J, Langlois VS. Innovation in regulatory approaches for endocrine disrupting chemicals: The journey to risk assessment modernization in Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 204:112225. [PMID: 34666016 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Globally, regulatory authorities grapple with the challenge of assessing the hazards and risks to human and ecosystem health that may result from exposure to chemicals that disrupt the normal functioning of endocrine systems. Rapidly increasing number of chemicals in commerce, coupled with the reliance on traditional, costly animal experiments for hazard characterization - often with limited sensitivity to many important mechanisms of endocrine disruption -, presents ongoing challenges for chemical regulation. The consequence is a limited number of chemicals for which there is sufficient data to assess if there is endocrine toxicity and hence few chemicals with thorough hazard characterization. To address this challenge, regulatory assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is benefiting from a revolution in toxicology that focuses on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to more rapidly identify, prioritize, and assess the potential risks from exposure to chemicals using novel, more efficient, and more mechanistically driven methodologies and tools. Incorporated into Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) and guided by conceptual frameworks such as Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), emerging approaches focus initially on molecular interactions between the test chemical and potentially vulnerable biological systems instead of the need for animal toxicity data. These new toxicity testing methods can be complemented with in silico and computational toxicology approaches, including those that predict chemical kinetics. Coupled with exposure data, these will inform risk-based decision-making approaches. Canada is part of a global network collaborating on building confidence in the use of NAMs for regulatory assessment of EDCs. Herein, we review the current approaches to EDC regulation globally (mainly from the perspective of human health), and provide a perspective on how the advances for regulatory testing and assessment can be applied and discuss the promises and challenges faced in adopting these novel approaches to minimize risks due to EDC exposure in Canada, and our world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T S Barton-Maclaren
- Existing Substances Risk Assessment Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Canada.
| | - M Wade
- Environmental Health Centre, Environmental Health, Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - N Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - S Bayen
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - J Grundy
- New Substances Assessment and Control Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Canada
| | - V Marlatt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - R Moore
- New Substances Assessment and Control Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Canada
| | - L Parent
- Département Science et Technologie, Université TÉLUQ, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - J Parrott
- Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON, Canada
| | - P Grigorova
- Département Science et Technologie, Université TÉLUQ, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - J Pinsonnault-Cooper
- New Substances Assessment and Control Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Canada
| | - V S Langlois
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Barrick A, Laroche O, Boundy M, Pearman JK, Wiles T, Butler J, Pochon X, Smith KF, Tremblay LA. First transcriptome of the copepod Gladioferens pectinatus subjected to chronic contaminant exposures. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 243:106069. [PMID: 34968986 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.106069] [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: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Contaminants are often at low concentrations in ecosystems and their effects on exposed organisms can occur over long periods of time and across multiple generations. Alterations to subcellular mechanistic pathways in response to exposure to contaminants can provide insights into mechanisms of toxicity that methods measuring higher levels of biological may miss. Analysis of the whole transcriptome can identify novel mechanisms of action leading to impacts in exposed biota. The aim of this study was to characterise how exposures to copper, benzophenone and diclofenac across multiple generations altered molecular expression pathways in the marine copepod Gladioferens pectinatus. Results of the study demonstrated differential gene expression was observed in cultures exposure to diclofenac (569), copper (449) and benzophenone (59). Pathways linked to stress, growth, cellular and metabolic processes were altered by exposure to all three contaminants with genes associated with oxidative stress and xenobiotic regulation also impacted. Protein kinase functioning, cytochrome P450, transcription, skeletal muscle contraction/relaxation, mitochondrial phosphate translocator, protein synthesis and mitochondrial methylation were all differentially expressed with all three chemicals. The results of the study also suggested that using dimethyl sulfoxide as a dispersant influenced the transcriptome and future research may want to investigate it's use in molecular studies. Data generated in this study provides a first look at transcriptomic response of G. pectinatus exposed to contaminants across multiple generations, future research is needed to validate the identified biomarkers and link these results to apical responses such as population growth to demonstrate the predictive capacity of molecular tools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Barrick
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand.
| | - Olivier Laroche
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - Michael Boundy
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - John K Pearman
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - Tanja Wiles
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - Juliette Butler
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - Xavier Pochon
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand; Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Kirsty F Smith
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Louis A Tremblay
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, Nelson 7010, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Ebner JN. Trends in the Application of "Omics" to Ecotoxicology and Stress Ecology. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1481. [PMID: 34680873 PMCID: PMC8535992 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Our ability to predict and assess how environmental changes such as pollution and climate change affect components of the Earth's biome is of paramount importance. This need positioned the fields of ecotoxicology and stress ecology at the center of environmental monitoring efforts. Advances in these interdisciplinary fields depend not only on conceptual leaps but also on technological advances and data integration. High-throughput "omics" technologies enabled the measurement of molecular changes at virtually all levels of an organism's biological organization and thus continue to influence how the impacts of stressors are understood. This bibliometric review describes literature trends (2000-2020) that indicate that more different stressors than species are studied each year but that only a few stressors have been studied in more than two phyla. At the same time, the molecular responses of a diverse set of non-model species have been investigated, but cross-species comparisons are still rare. While transcriptomics studies dominated until 2016, a shift towards proteomics and multiomics studies is apparent. There is now a wealth of data at functional omics levels from many phylogenetically diverse species. This review, therefore, addresses the question of how to integrate omics information across species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Niklas Ebner
- Spring Ecology Research Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Harrill JA, Viant MR, Yauk CL, Sachana M, Gant TW, Auerbach SS, Beger RD, Bouhifd M, O'Brien J, Burgoon L, Caiment F, Carpi D, Chen T, Chorley BN, Colbourne J, Corvi R, Debrauwer L, O'Donovan C, Ebbels TMD, Ekman DR, Faulhammer F, Gribaldo L, Hilton GM, Jones SP, Kende A, Lawson TN, Leite SB, Leonards PEG, Luijten M, Martin A, Moussa L, Rudaz S, Schmitz O, Sobanski T, Strauss V, Vaccari M, Vijay V, Weber RJM, Williams AJ, Williams A, Thomas RS, Whelan M. Progress towards an OECD reporting framework for transcriptomics and metabolomics in regulatory toxicology. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 125:105020. [PMID: 34333066 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Omics methodologies are widely used in toxicological research to understand modes and mechanisms of toxicity. Increasingly, these methodologies are being applied to questions of regulatory interest such as molecular point-of-departure derivation and chemical grouping/read-across. Despite its value, widespread regulatory acceptance of omics data has not yet occurred. Barriers to the routine application of omics data in regulatory decision making have been: 1) lack of transparency for data processing methods used to convert raw data into an interpretable list of observations; and 2) lack of standardization in reporting to ensure that omics data, associated metadata and the methodologies used to generate results are available for review by stakeholders, including regulators. Thus, in 2017, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Extended Advisory Group on Molecular Screening and Toxicogenomics (EAGMST) launched a project to develop guidance for the reporting of omics data aimed at fostering further regulatory use. Here, we report on the ongoing development of the first formal reporting framework describing the processing and analysis of both transcriptomic and metabolomic data for regulatory toxicology. We introduce the modular structure, content, harmonization and strategy for trialling this reporting framework prior to its publication by the OECD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A Harrill
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States.
| | - Mark R Viant
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Michabo Health Science, University of Birmingham Enterprise, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Carole L Yauk
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Magdalini Sachana
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Environment Health and Safety Division, Paris, France
| | - Timothy W Gant
- Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE), Public Health England (PHE), Harwell Science Campus, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Scott S Auerbach
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Richard D Beger
- National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | | | - Jason O'Brien
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Lyle Burgoon
- US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Rd, Vicksburg, MS, 39180, USA
| | - Florian Caiment
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229, ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Donatella Carpi
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027, Ispra, Italy
| | - Tao Chen
- National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Brian N Chorley
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States
| | - John Colbourne
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Michabo Health Science, University of Birmingham Enterprise, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Raffaella Corvi
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027, Ispra, Italy
| | - Laurent Debrauwer
- Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), INRAE UMR 1331, ENVT, INP-Purpan, Paul Sabatier University (UPS), Toulouse, France; MetaToul-AXIOM Platform, MetaboHUB, National Infrastructure for Metabolomics and Fluxomics, Toulouse, France
| | - Claire O'Donovan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy M D Ebbels
- Division of Systems Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Drew R Ekman
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA, 30605, United States
| | | | - Laura Gribaldo
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027, Ispra, Italy
| | - Gina M Hilton
- PETA Science Consortium International e.V., Friolzheimer Str. 3, 70499, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Stephanie P Jones
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Aniko Kende
- Syngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, RG42 6EY, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas N Lawson
- Michabo Health Science, University of Birmingham Enterprise, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sofia B Leite
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027, Ispra, Italy
| | - Pim E G Leonards
- Department of Environment and Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Luijten
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - Laura Moussa
- US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Serge Rudaz
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Switzerland
| | - Oliver Schmitz
- BASF Metabolome Solutions, Metabolome Data Science, Tegeler Weg 33, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Volker Strauss
- BASF SE, Toxicology and Ecology, 67056, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Monica Vaccari
- Center for Environmental Health and Prevention, Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Vikrant Vijay
- National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Ralf J M Weber
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Michabo Health Science, University of Birmingham Enterprise, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Antony J Williams
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States
| | - Andrew Williams
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Russell S Thomas
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States
| | - Maurice Whelan
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027, Ispra, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Kuijpers E, van Wel L, Loh M, Galea KS, Makris KC, Stierum R, Fransman W, Pronk A. A Scoping Review of Technologies and Their Applicability for Exposome-Based Risk Assessment in the Oil and Gas Industry. Ann Work Expo Health 2021; 65:1011-1028. [PMID: 34219141 DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxab039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Oil and gas workers have been shown to be at increased risk of chronic diseases including cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hearing loss, among others. Technological advances may be used to assess the external (e.g. personal sensors, smartphone apps and online platforms, exposure models) and internal exposome (e.g. physiologically based kinetic modeling (PBK), biomonitoring, omics), offering numerous possibilities for chronic disease prevention strategies and risk management measures. The objective of this study was to review the literature on these technologies, by focusing on: (i) evaluating their applicability for exposome research in the oil and gas industry, and (ii) identifying key challenges that may hamper the successful application of such technologies in the oil and gas industry. METHOD A scoping review was conducted by identifying peer-reviewed literature with searches in MEDLINE/PubMed and SciVerse Scopus. Two assessors trained on the search strategy screened retrieved articles on title and abstract. The inclusion criteria used for this review were: application of the aforementioned technologies at a workplace in the oil and gas industry or, application of these technologies for an exposure relevant to the oil and gas industry but in another occupational sector, English language and publication period 2005-end of 2019. RESULTS In total, 72 articles were included in this scoping review with most articles focused on omics and bioinformatics (N = 22), followed by biomonitoring and biomarkers (N = 20), external exposure modeling (N = 11), PBK modeling (N = 10), and personal sensors (N = 9). Several studies were identified in the oil and gas industry on the application of PBK models and biomarkers, mainly focusing on workers exposed to benzene. The application of personal sensors, new types of exposure models, and omics technology are still in their infancy with respect to the oil and gas industry. Nevertheless, applications of these technologies in other occupational sectors showed the potential for application in this sector. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION New exposome technologies offer great promise for personal monitoring of workers in the oil and gas industry, but more applied research is needed in collaboration with the industry. Current challenges hindering a successful application of such technologies include (i) the technological readiness of sensors, (ii) the availability of data, (iii) the absence of standardized and validated methods, and (iv) the need for new study designs to study the development of disease during working life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Miranda Loh
- Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, UK
| | - Karen S Galea
- Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, UK
| | - Konstantinos C Makris
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Wen X, Takahashi S, Hatakeyama K, Kamei KI. Evaluation of the Effects of Solvents Used in the Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices on Cell Cultures. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:550. [PMID: 34066183 PMCID: PMC8151832 DOI: 10.3390/mi12050550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Microfluidic microphysiological systems (MPSs) or "organs-on-a-chip" are a promising alternative to animal models for drug screening and toxicology tests. However, most microfluidic devices employ polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the structural material; and this has several drawbacks. Cyclo-olefin polymers (COPs) are more advantageous than PDMS and other thermoplastic materials because of their low drug absorption and autofluorescence. However, most COP-based microfluidic devices are fabricated by solvent bonding of the constituent parts. Notably, the remnant solvent can affect the cultured cells. This study employed a photobonding process with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light to fabricate microfluidic devices without using any solvent and compared their performance with that of solvent-bonded systems (using cyclohexane, dichloromethane, or toluene as the solvent) to investigate the effects of residual solvent on cell cultures. Quantitative immunofluorescence assays indicated that the coating efficiencies of extracellular matrix proteins (e.g., Matrigel and collagen I) were lower in solvent-bonded COP devices than those in VUV-bonded devices. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the systems was evaluated using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and increased apoptosis was observed in the solvent-processed devices. These results provide insights into the effects of solvents used during the fabrication of microfluidic devices and can help prevent undesirable reactions and establish good manufacturing practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopeng Wen
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan;
| | - Seiichiro Takahashi
- Incubation Center Organs On Chip Project, Ushio INC, 1-6-5 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8150, Japan; (S.T.); (K.H.)
| | - Kenji Hatakeyama
- Incubation Center Organs On Chip Project, Ushio INC, 1-6-5 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8150, Japan; (S.T.); (K.H.)
| | - Ken-ichiro Kamei
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan;
- Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Liaoning 110016, China
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Liaoning 110016, China
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Mesnage R, Teixeira M, Mandrioli D, Falcioni L, Ibragim M, Ducarmon QR, Zwittink RD, Amiel C, Panoff JM, Bourne E, Savage E, Mein CA, Belpoggi F, Antoniou MN. Multi-omics phenotyping of the gut-liver axis reveals metabolic perturbations from a low-dose pesticide mixture in rats. Commun Biol 2021; 4:471. [PMID: 33854195 PMCID: PMC8046807 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01990-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Health effects of pesticides are not always accurately detected using the current battery of regulatory toxicity tests. We compared standard histopathology and serum biochemistry measures and multi-omics analyses in a subchronic toxicity test of a mixture of six pesticides frequently detected in foodstuffs (azoxystrobin, boscalid, chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, imidacloprid and thiabendazole) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Analysis of water and feed consumption, body weight, histopathology and serum biochemistry showed little effect. Contrastingly, serum and caecum metabolomics revealed that nicotinamide and tryptophan metabolism were affected, which suggested activation of an oxidative stress response. This was not reflected by gut microbial community composition changes evaluated by shotgun metagenomics. Transcriptomics of the liver showed that 257 genes had their expression changed. Gene functions affected included the regulation of response to steroid hormones and the activation of stress response pathways. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of the same liver samples showed that 4,255 CpG sites were differentially methylated. Overall, we demonstrated that in-depth molecular profiling in laboratory animals exposed to low concentrations of pesticides allows the detection of metabolic perturbations that would remain undetected by standard regulatory biochemical measures and which could thus improve the predictability of health risks from exposure to chemical pollutants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Mesnage
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Maxime Teixeira
- UR Aliments Bioprocédés Toxicologie Environnements, EA 4651, University of Caen Normandy (UCN), Caen, France
| | | | | | - Mariam Ibragim
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Quinten Raymond Ducarmon
- Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Romy Daniëlle Zwittink
- Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline Amiel
- UR Aliments Bioprocédés Toxicologie Environnements, EA 4651, University of Caen Normandy (UCN), Caen, France
| | - Jean-Michel Panoff
- UR Aliments Bioprocédés Toxicologie Environnements, EA 4651, University of Caen Normandy (UCN), Caen, France
| | - Emma Bourne
- Genome Centre, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Blizard Institute, London, UK
| | - Emanuel Savage
- Genome Centre, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Blizard Institute, London, UK
| | - Charles A Mein
- Genome Centre, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Blizard Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Michael N Antoniou
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Hernández-Mesa M, Le Bizec B, Dervilly G. Metabolomics in chemical risk analysis – A review. Anal Chim Acta 2021; 1154:338298. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.338298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
31
|
Olesti E, González-Ruiz V, Wilks MF, Boccard J, Rudaz S. Approaches in metabolomics for regulatory toxicology applications. Analyst 2021; 146:1820-1834. [PMID: 33605958 DOI: 10.1039/d0an02212h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Innovative methodological approaches are needed to conduct human health and environmental risk assessments on a growing number of marketed chemicals. Metabolomics is progressively proving its value as an efficient strategy to perform toxicological evaluations of new and existing substances, and it will likely become a key tool to accelerate chemical risk assessments. However, additional guidance with widely accepted and harmonized procedures is needed before metabolomics can be routinely incorporated in decision-making for regulatory purposes. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of metabolomic strategies that have been successfully employed in toxicity assessment as well as the most promising workflows in a regulatory context. First, we provide a general view of the different steps of regulatory toxicology-oriented metabolomics. Emphasis is put on three key elements: robustness of experimental design, choice of analytical platform, and use of adapted data treatment tools. Then, examples in which metabolomics supported regulatory toxicology outputs in different scenarios are reviewed, including chemical grouping, elucidation of mechanisms of toxicity, and determination of points of departure. The overall intention is to provide insights into why and how to plan and conduct metabolomic studies for regulatory toxicology purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eulalia Olesti
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Karkossa I, Raps S, von Bergen M, Schubert K. Systematic Review of Multi-Omics Approaches to Investigate Toxicological Effects in Macrophages. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9371. [PMID: 33317022 PMCID: PMC7764599 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Insights into the modes of action (MoAs) of xenobiotics are of utmost importance for the definition of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), which are essential for a mechanism-based risk assessment. A well-established strategy to reveal MoAs of xenobiotics is the use of omics. However, often an even more comprehensive approach is needed, which can be achieved using multi-omics. Since the immune system plays a central role in the defense against foreign substances and pathogens, with the innate immune system building a first barrier, we systematically reviewed multi-omics studies investigating the effects of xenobiotics on macrophages. Surprisingly, only nine publications were identified, combining proteomics with transcriptomics or metabolomics. We summarized pathways and single proteins, transcripts, or metabolites, which were described to be affected upon treatment with xenobiotics in the reviewed studies, thus revealing a broad range of effects. In summary, we show that macrophages are a relevant model system to investigate the toxicological effects induced by xenobiotics. Furthermore, the multi-omics approaches led to a more comprehensive overview compared to only one omics layer with slight advantages for combinations that complement each other directly, e.g., proteome and metabolome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Karkossa
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; (I.K.); (S.R.); (M.v.B.)
| | - Stefanie Raps
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; (I.K.); (S.R.); (M.v.B.)
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; (I.K.); (S.R.); (M.v.B.)
- Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kristin Schubert
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; (I.K.); (S.R.); (M.v.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Liang X, Martyniuk CJ, Simmons DBD. Are we forgetting the "proteomics" in multi-omics ecotoxicology? COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2020; 36:100751. [PMID: 33142247 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2020.100751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Proteomics plays a significant role in discerning the effects of chemical exposures in animal taxa. Multi-omics applications have become more pervasive in toxicology, however questions remain about whether proteomics is being utilized by the community to its full potential - are we placing too much stock in transcriptomics and other omics approaches for developing adverse outcome pathways? Proteins are more relevant than transcripts because they are direct mediators of the resulting phenotype. There is also rarely perfect stoichiometry between transcript and protein abundance and transcript abundance may not accurately predict physiologic response. Proteins direct all levels of phenotype: structural proteins dictate physical form, enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions, and proteins act as signaling proteins, antibodies, transporters, ion pumps, and transcription factors to control gene expression. Molecular initiating events (MIEs) of AOPs predominantly occur at the level of the protein (e.g. ligand-receptor binding) and proteomics can elucidate novel MIEs and mapping KEs in AOPs. This critical review highlights the need for proteomics in multi-omics studies in environmental toxicology and outlines steps required for inclusion and wider acceptance in chemical risk assessment. We also present case studies of multi-omics approaches that utilize proteomics and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for proteomics in comparative ecotoxicology. Our intention is not to minimize the importance of other omics technologies, as each has strengths and limitations, but rather to encourage researchers to consider proteomics-based methods in multi-omics studies and AOP development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuefang Liang
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control & Waste Resource Reuse, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Pain G, Hickey G, Mondou M, Crump D, Hecker M, Basu N, Maguire S. Drivers of and Obstacles to the Adoption of Toxicogenomics for Chemical Risk Assessment: Insights from Social Science Perspectives. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:105002. [PMID: 33112659 PMCID: PMC7592882 DOI: 10.1289/ehp6500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some 20 y ago, scientific and regulatory communities identified the potential of omics sciences (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to improve chemical risk assessment through development of toxicogenomics. Recognizing that regulators adopt new scientific methods cautiously given accountability to diverse stakeholders, the scope and pace of adoption of toxicogenomics tools and data have nonetheless not met the ambitious, early expectations of omics proponents. OBJECTIVE Our objective was, therefore, to inventory, investigate, and derive insights into drivers of and obstacles to adoption of toxicogenomics in chemical risk assessment. By invoking established social science frameworks conceptualizing innovation adoption, we also aimed to develop recommendations for proponents of toxicogenomics and other new approach methodologies (NAMs). METHODS We report findings from an analysis of 56 scientific and regulatory publications from 1998 through 2017 that address the adoption of toxicogenomics for chemical risk assessment. From this purposeful sample of toxicogenomics discourse, we identified major categories of drivers of and obstacles to adoption of toxicogenomics tools and data sets. We then mapped these categories onto social science frameworks for conceptualizing innovation adoption to generate actionable insights for proponents of toxicogenomics. DISCUSSION We identify the most salient drivers and obstacles. From 1998 through 2017, adoption of toxicogenomics was understood to be helped by drivers such as those we labeled Superior scientific understanding, New applications, and Reduced cost & increased efficiency but hindered by obstacles such as those we labeled Insufficient validation, Complexity of interpretation, and Lack of standardization. Leveraging social science frameworks, we find that arguments for adoption that draw on the most salient drivers, which emphasize superior and novel functionality of omics as rationales, overlook potential adopters' key concerns: simplicity of use and compatibility with existing practices. We also identify two perspectives-innovation-centric and adopter-centric-on omics adoption and explain how overreliance on the former may be undermining efforts to promote toxicogenomics. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6500.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Pain
- Faculté des sciences de l’administration, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada
| | - Gordon Hickey
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Matthieu Mondou
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Doug Crump
- National Wildlife Research Center, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Markus Hecker
- Toxicology Center and School of the Environment & Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Steven Maguire
- University of Sydney Business School and University of Sydney Nano Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Marie B. Disentangling of the ecotoxicological signal using "omics" analyses, a lesson from the survey of the impact of cyanobacterial proliferations on fishes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 736:139701. [PMID: 32497891 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Omics technologies offer unprecedented perspectives for the rational investigation of complex biological systems. Indeed, omics present the ability of offering an extensive perception of the biochemistry and physiology of the cell and of any perturbing consequences of contaminants through the joint investigation of thousands of molecular responses simultaneously; then it has recently conducted to a fervent attention by research ecotoxicologists. Beyond the presentation of latest advances, exemplified here by omics investigation of cyanobacterial deleterious effects on various fishes (at various experimental and biological scales and with various analytical tools and pipeline), the present review paper re-explores the promising perspectives and also the pitfalls of such holistic investigations of the ecotoxicological response of organisms for environmental assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Marie
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7245, CNRS, MNHN Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes (MCAM), équipe "Cyanobactéries, Cyanotoxines et Environnement", 12 rue Buffon, CP 39, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Gene Pyramiding for Sustainable Crop Improvement against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses. AGRONOMY-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/agronomy10091255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable agricultural production is endangered by several ecological factors, such as drought, extreme temperatures, excessive salts, parasitic ailments, and insect pest infestation. These challenging environmental factors may have adverse effects on future agriculture production in many countries. In modern agriculture, conventional crop-breeding techniques alone are inadequate for achieving the increasing population’s food demand on a sustainable basis. The advancement of molecular genetics and related technologies are promising tools for the selection of new crop species. Gene pyramiding through marker-assisted selection (MAS) and other techniques have accelerated the development of durable resistant/tolerant lines with high accuracy in the shortest period of time for agricultural sustainability. Gene stacking has not been fully utilized for biotic stress resistance development and quality improvement in most of the major cultivated crops. This review emphasizes on gene pyramiding techniques that are being successfully deployed in modern agriculture for improving crop tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses for sustainable crop improvement.
Collapse
|
37
|
Hartwig A, Arand M, Epe B, Guth S, Jahnke G, Lampen A, Martus HJ, Monien B, Rietjens IMCM, Schmitz-Spanke S, Schriever-Schwemmer G, Steinberg P, Eisenbrand G. Mode of action-based risk assessment of genotoxic carcinogens. Arch Toxicol 2020; 94:1787-1877. [PMID: 32542409 PMCID: PMC7303094 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02733-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The risk assessment of chemical carcinogens is one major task in toxicology. Even though exposure has been mitigated effectively during the last decades, low levels of carcinogenic substances in food and at the workplace are still present and often not completely avoidable. The distinction between genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens has traditionally been regarded as particularly relevant for risk assessment, with the assumption of the existence of no-effect concentrations (threshold levels) in case of the latter group. In contrast, genotoxic carcinogens, their metabolic precursors and DNA reactive metabolites are considered to represent risk factors at all concentrations since even one or a few DNA lesions may in principle result in mutations and, thus, increase tumour risk. Within the current document, an updated risk evaluation for genotoxic carcinogens is proposed, based on mechanistic knowledge regarding the substance (group) under investigation, and taking into account recent improvements in analytical techniques used to quantify DNA lesions and mutations as well as "omics" approaches. Furthermore, wherever possible and appropriate, special attention is given to the integration of background levels of the same or comparable DNA lesions. Within part A, fundamental considerations highlight the terms hazard and risk with respect to DNA reactivity of genotoxic agents, as compared to non-genotoxic agents. Also, current methodologies used in genetic toxicology as well as in dosimetry of exposure are described. Special focus is given on the elucidation of modes of action (MOA) and on the relation between DNA damage and cancer risk. Part B addresses specific examples of genotoxic carcinogens, including those humans are exposed to exogenously and endogenously, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and the corresponding alcohols as well as some alkylating agents, ethylene oxide, and acrylamide, but also examples resulting from exogenous sources like aflatoxin B1, allylalkoxybenzenes, 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (MeIQx), benzo[a]pyrene and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Additionally, special attention is given to some carcinogenic metal compounds, which are considered indirect genotoxins, by accelerating mutagenicity via interactions with the cellular response to DNA damage even at low exposure conditions. Part C finally encompasses conclusions and perspectives, suggesting a refined strategy for the assessment of the carcinogenic risk associated with an exposure to genotoxic compounds and addressing research needs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Hartwig
- Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Institute of Applied Biosciences (IAB), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Michael Arand
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Epe
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sabine Guth
- Department of Toxicology, IfADo-Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Ardeystr. 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Gunnar Jahnke
- Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Institute of Applied Biosciences (IAB), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Alfonso Lampen
- Department of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Martus
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard Monien
- Department of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ivonne M C M Rietjens
- Division of Toxicology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Schmitz-Spanke
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Henkestr. 9-11, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gerlinde Schriever-Schwemmer
- Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Institute of Applied Biosciences (IAB), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Pablo Steinberg
- Max Rubner-Institut, Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food, Haid-und-Neu-Str. 9, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Gerhard Eisenbrand
- Retired Senior Professor for Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Kühler Grund 48/1, 69126, Heidelberg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Zink D, Chuah JKC, Ying JY. Assessing Toxicity with Human Cell-Based In Vitro Methods. Trends Mol Med 2020; 26:570-582. [PMID: 32470384 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In toxicology, there is a strong push towards replacing animal experiments with alternative methods, which include cell-based in vitro methods for the assessment of adverse health effects in humans. High-throughput methods are of central interest due to the large and steadily growing numbers of compounds that require assessment. Tremendous progress has been made during the last decade in developing and applying such methods. Innovative technologies for addressing complex biological interactions include induced pluripotent stem cell- and organoid-based approaches, organotypic coculture systems, and microfluidic 'multiorgan' chips. Combining in vitro methods with bioinformatics and in silico modeling generates new powerful tools for toxicity assessment, and the rapid progress in the field is expected to continue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Zink
- NanoBio Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #09-01, Singapore 138669, Singapore; Innovations in Food and Chemical Safety Programme, A*STAR, Singapore.
| | - Jacqueline Kai Chin Chuah
- NanoBio Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #09-01, Singapore 138669, Singapore; Cellbae Pte Ltd, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, Singapore 138669, Singapore
| | - Jackie Y Ying
- NanoBio Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #09-01, Singapore 138669, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Transcriptomics in Toxicogenomics, Part I: Experimental Design, Technologies, Publicly Available Data, and Regulatory Aspects. NANOMATERIALS 2020; 10:nano10040750. [PMID: 32326418 PMCID: PMC7221878 DOI: 10.3390/nano10040750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The starting point of successful hazard assessment is the generation of unbiased and trustworthy data. Conventional toxicity testing deals with extensive observations of phenotypic endpoints in vivo and complementing in vitro models. The increasing development of novel materials and chemical compounds dictates the need for a better understanding of the molecular changes occurring in exposed biological systems. Transcriptomics enables the exploration of organisms' responses to environmental, chemical, and physical agents by observing the molecular alterations in more detail. Toxicogenomics integrates classical toxicology with omics assays, thus allowing the characterization of the mechanism of action (MOA) of chemical compounds, novel small molecules, and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Lack of standardization in data generation and analysis currently hampers the full exploitation of toxicogenomics-based evidence in risk assessment. To fill this gap, TGx methods need to take into account appropriate experimental design and possible pitfalls in the transcriptomic analyses as well as data generation and sharing that adhere to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. In this review, we summarize the recent advancements in the design and analysis of DNA microarray, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), and single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) data. We provide guidelines on exposure time, dose and complex endpoint selection, sample quality considerations and sample randomization. Furthermore, we summarize publicly available data resources and highlight applications of TGx data to understand and predict chemical toxicity potential. Additionally, we discuss the efforts to implement TGx into regulatory decision making to promote alternative methods for risk assessment and to support the 3R (reduction, refinement, and replacement) concept. This review is the first part of a three-article series on Transcriptomics in Toxicogenomics. These initial considerations on Experimental Design, Technologies, Publicly Available Data, Regulatory Aspects, are the starting point for further rigorous and reliable data preprocessing and modeling, described in the second and third part of the review series.
Collapse
|
40
|
Arantes MR, Peijnenburg A, Hendriksen PJM, Stoopen G, Almeida TS, Souza TM, Farias DF, Carvalho AFU, Rocha TM, Leal LKAM, Vasconcelos IM, Oliveira JTA. In vitro toxicological characterisation of the antifungal compound soybean toxin (SBTX). Toxicol In Vitro 2020; 65:104824. [PMID: 32165152 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2020.104824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Soybean toxin (SBTX) is a protein isolated from soybean seeds and composed of two polypeptide subunits (17 and 27 kDa). SBTX has in vitro activity against phytopathogenic fungi such as Cercospora sojina, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium herguei, and yeasts like Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, Kluyveromyces marxiannus, and Pichia membranifaciens. The present study aimed to analyze in vitro whether SBTX causes any side effects on non-target bacterial and mammalian cells that could impede its potential use as a novel antifungal agent. SBTX at 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL did not hinder the growth of the bacteria Salmonella enterica (subspecies enterica serovar choleraesuis), Bacillus subtilis (subspecies spizizenii) and Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, SBTX at concentrations up to 500 μg/mL did not significantly affect the viability of erythrocytes, neutrophils, and human intestinal Caco-2 cells. To study whether SBTX could induce relevant alterations in gene expression, in vitro DNA microarray experiments were conducted in which differentiated Caco-2 cells were exposed for 24 h to 100 μg/mL or 200 μg/mL SBTX. SBTX up-regulated genes involved in cell cycle and immune response pathways, but down-regulated genes that play a role in cholesterol biosynthesis and platelet degranulation pathways. Thus, although SBTX did not affect bacteria, nor induced cytotoxity in mammalian cells, it affected some biological pathways in the human Caco-2 cell line that warrants further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Reis Arantes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, 60020-181 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Ad Peijnenburg
- WFSR, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 230, 6700 AE Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Peter J M Hendriksen
- WFSR, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 230, 6700 AE Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Geert Stoopen
- WFSR, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 230, 6700 AE Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Thiago Silva Almeida
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, 60020-181 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Terezinha Maria Souza
- Department of Toxicogenomics, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6229, ER, the Netherlands.
| | - Davi Felipe Farias
- Department of Molecular Biology, Federal University of Paraíba, 58051-900 Joao Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | - Ilka Maria Vasconcelos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, 60020-181 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
| | - Jose Tadeu Abreu Oliveira
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, 60020-181 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Xia P, Zhang H, Peng Y, Shi W, Zhang X. Pathway-based assessment of single chemicals and mixtures by a high-throughput transcriptomics approach. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 136:105455. [PMID: 31945694 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The ever-increasing number of chemicals and complex mixtures demands a high-throughput and cost-effective approach for chemical safety assessment. High-throughput transcriptomics (HTT) is promising in investigating genome-scale perturbation of chemical exposure in concentration-dependent manner. However, the application of HTT has been limited due to lack of methodology for single chemicals and mixture assessment. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of a newly-developed human reduced transcriptomics (RHT) approach to assess pathway-based profiles of single chemicals, and to develop a biological pathway-based approach for benchmarking mixture potency using single chemical-based prediction model. First, concentration-dependent RHT were used to qualitatively and quantitatively differentiate pathway-based patterns of different chemicals, using three model toxicants, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), triclosan (TCS) and 5-Chloro-6-hydroxy-2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (5-Cl-6-OH-BDE-47). AHR-regulated genes and pathways were most sensitively induced by TCDD, while TCS and 5-Cl-6-OH-BDE-47 were much less potent in AHR-associated activation, which was concordant with known MoA of each single chemical. Second, two artificial mixtures and their components of twelve individual chemicals were performed with concentration-dependent RHT. Concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models were used to predict transcriptional potency of mixtures from transcriptomics of individual chemicals. For overall bioactivity, CA and IA models can both predict potency of observed responses within 95% confidence interval. For specific biological processes, multiple biological processes such as hormone signaling and DNA damage can be predicted using CA models for mixtures. The concentration-dependent RHT can provide a powerful approach for qualitative and quantitative assessment of biological pathway perturbated by environment chemical and mixtures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pu Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China
| | - Hanxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China
| | - Ying Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China
| | - Wei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Mondou M, Hickey GM, Rahman HT, Maguire S, Pain G, Crump D, Hecker M, Basu N. Factors Affecting the Perception of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in the Ecotoxicology Community. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2020; 16:269-281. [PMID: 31944596 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Given current legislative mandates to assess the safety of thousands of chemicals and the slow pace at which conventional testing proceeds, there is a need to accelerate chemical risk assessment. Governments and businesses are increasingly interested in new approach methodologies (NAMs) that promise to reduce costs and delays. We explore 5 sociological factors within the ecotoxicology community that can influence the perception of NAMs: 1) professional profile (educational cohort, employer), 2) internal science communication within professional forums, 3) concern for "error cost," 4) collaboration across stakeholders, and 5) fundamental beliefs regarding toxicology. We conducted an online survey (n = 171; 2018) asking participants about their experiences and perspectives at events of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) to assess 1) how NAMs are discussed compared to conventional testing and 2) how respondents perceive their viability. We developed ordered logistic regression (OLR) models to understand the influence of exploratory variables (cohort, core views on toxicology, frequency of collaboration) on respondents' evaluation of the viability of different NAMs. Our results showed that 1) NAMs were more likely than conventional methods to be challenged in forum discussions, which may be fueled by concerns for error costs in regulatory decision making; 2) perceptions of the viability of NAMs tended to follow a "pattern of familiarity," whereby respondents that were more knowledgeable about a test method tended to find it more viable; 3) respondents who agreed with the Paracelsus maxim had a greater likelihood of finding conventional testing viable; and 4) the more a respondent reported collaborating with industry on alternative testing strategies, the more likely she or he was to report that NAMs were less viable. These results suggest that there are professional and organizational barriers to greater acceptance of NAMs that can be addressed through a social learning process within the professional community. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:269-281. © 2020 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Mondou
- McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Gordon M Hickey
- McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Hm Tuihedur Rahman
- McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Steve Maguire
- The University of Sydney Business School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Guillaume Pain
- McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Doug Crump
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Niladri Basu
- McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Prospects and challenges of multi-omics data integration in toxicology. Arch Toxicol 2020; 94:371-388. [PMID: 32034435 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02656-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Exposure of cells or organisms to chemicals can trigger a series of effects at the regulatory pathway level, which involve changes of levels, interactions, and feedback loops of biomolecules of different types. A single-omics technique, e.g., transcriptomics, will detect biomolecules of one type and thus can only capture changes in a small subset of the biological cascade. Therefore, although applying single-omics analyses can lead to the identification of biomarkers for certain exposures, they cannot provide a systemic understanding of toxicity pathways or adverse outcome pathways. Integration of multiple omics data sets promises a substantial improvement in detecting this pathway response to a toxicant, by an increase of information as such and especially by a systemic understanding. Here, we report the findings of a thorough evaluation of the prospects and challenges of multi-omics data integration in toxicological research. We review the availability of such data, discuss options for experimental design, evaluate methods for integration and analysis of multi-omics data, discuss best practices, and identify knowledge gaps. Re-analyzing published data, we demonstrate that multi-omics data integration can considerably improve the confidence in detecting a pathway response. Finally, we argue that more data need to be generated from studies with a multi-omics-focused design, to define which omics layers contribute most to the identification of a pathway response to a toxicant.
Collapse
|
44
|
A bioinformatics workflow for the evaluation of RT-qPCR primer specificity: Application for the assessment of gene expression data reliability in toxicological studies. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 111:104575. [PMID: 31945455 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The reliability of Reverse Transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) gene expression data depends on proper primer design and RNA quality controls. Despite freely available genomic databases and bioinformatics tools, primer design deficiencies can be found across life science publications. In order to assess the prevalence of such deficiencies in the toxicological literature, 504 primer sets extracted from a random selection of 70 recent rat toxicological studies were evaluated. The specificity of each primer set was systematically analysed using a bioinformatics workflow developed from publicly available resources (NCBI Primer BLAST, in silico PCR in UCSC genome browser, Ensembl DNA database). Potential mismatches (9%), cross-matches (13.5%), co-amplification of multiple gene splice variants (9%) and sub-optimal amplicon sizes (25%) were identified for a significant proportion of the primer sets assessed in silico. Quality controls for gDNA contamination of RNA samples were infrequently reported in the surveyed manuscripts. Hence, the impacts of gDNA contamination on RT-qPCR data were further investigated, revealing that lowly expressed genes presented higher susceptibility to contaminating gDNA. In addition to the retrospective identification of potential primer design issues presented in this study, the described bioinformatics workflow can also be used prospectively to select candidate primer sets for experimental validation.
Collapse
|
45
|
Brahmajothi MV, Abou-Donia MB. Monitoring from Battlefield to Bedside: Serum Repositories Help Identify Biomarkers, Perspectives on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Mil Med 2020; 185:197-204. [PMID: 32074362 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usz301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Serum repositories are foundations for seroepidemiological data, revealing targeted information about morbidities and existing heterogeneity in human populations. With the recent technological advances, we can perform high-throughput screening at an affordable cost using minimal plasma. Monitoring brain health after an injury is critical since mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and other neurological symptoms are under-diagnosed. Our objective in this study is to present our preliminary serological data from one of our ongoing studies on mTBI. METHODS In this retrospective study, we used stored plasma samples to understand biomarkers of mTBI. We compared plasma samples from five patients with mTBI following their first concussive episode to five gender and age-matched healthy controls. We assessed multiple biomarkers to show the importance of biorepositories. RESULTS Most of the estimated plasma factors in mTBI subjects at baseline were comparable to normal healthy individuals except for the astroglial markers S100B and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Fluctuations of these biomarkers can affect the homeostasis of brain parenchyma by altering the neural network signaling, which in turn may result in intermittent behavioral symptoms. CONCLUSION Biorepositories are powerful resources for understanding the spectrum of morbidity. Biomarkers serve as a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mulugu V Brahmajothi
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, PO Box 3813, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Mohamed B Abou-Donia
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, PO Box 3813, Durham, NC 27710
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
Next generation sequencing (NGS) represents several powerful platforms that have revolutionized RNA and DNA analysis. The parallel sequencing of millions of DNA molecules can provide mechanistic insights into toxicology and provide new avenues for biomarker discovery with growing relevance for risk assessment. The evolution of NGS technologies has improved over the last decade with increased sensitivity and accuracy to foster new biomarker assays from tissue, blood and other biofluids. NGS sequencing technologies can identify transcriptional changes and genomic targets with base pair precision in response to chemical exposure. Further, there are several exciting movements within the toxicology community that incorporate NGS platforms into new strategies for more rapid toxicological characterizations. These include the Tox21 in vitro high throughput transcriptomic screening program, development of organotypic spheroids, alternative animal models, mining archival tissues, liquid biopsy and epigenomics. This review will describe NGS-based technologies, demonstrate how they can be used as tools for target discovery in tissue and blood, and suggest how they might be applied for risk assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B Alex Merrick
- Molecular and Genomic Toxicology Group, Biomolecular Screening Branch, Division National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, Ph: 919-541-1531,
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Andraos S, Wake M, Saffery R, Burgner D, Kussmann M, O'Sullivan J. Perspective: Advancing Understanding of Population Nutrient-Health Relations via Metabolomics and Precision Phenotypes. Adv Nutr 2019; 10:944-952. [PMID: 31098626 PMCID: PMC6855971 DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmz045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet and lifestyle are vital to population health, but their true contribution is difficult to quantify using traditional methods. Nutrient-health relations are typically based on epidemiological associations that are assessed at the population level, traditionally using self-reported dietary and lifestyle data. Unfortunately, such measures are inherently inaccurate. New technologies such as metabolomics can measure nutritional and micronutrient profiles in body fluids, providing objective evaluation of nutritional status. A critical step toward accurate health prediction models would be the building of integrated repositories of nutritional measures combining subjective methods of reporting with objective metabolomics profiles and precise phenotypic data. Here we outline a roadmap to achieve this goal and discuss both the advantages and risks of this approach. We also highlight the uncertain associations between the complexity of high-dimensional data generated in 'omics research (along with the public confusion this may engender) and the rapid adoption of 'omics approaches by nutrition and health companies to develop nutritional products and services.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Melissa Wake
- The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard Saffery
- The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David Burgner
- The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Martin Kussmann
- Liggins Institute, Auckland, New Zealand,New Zealand National Science Challenge, High-Value Nutrition, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,Frontiers Media SA, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Justin O'Sullivan
- Liggins Institute, Auckland, New Zealand,New Zealand National Science Challenge, High-Value Nutrition, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,Address correspondence to JO (e-mail: )
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Rivetti C, Allen TEH, Brown JB, Butler E, Carmichael PL, Colbourne JK, Dent M, Falciani F, Gunnarsson L, Gutsell S, Harrill JA, Hodges G, Jennings P, Judson R, Kienzler A, Margiotta-Casaluci L, Muller I, Owen SF, Rendal C, Russell PJ, Scott S, Sewell F, Shah I, Sorrel I, Viant MR, Westmoreland C, White A, Campos B. Vision of a near future: Bridging the human health-environment divide. Toward an integrated strategy to understand mechanisms across species for chemical safety assessment. Toxicol In Vitro 2019; 62:104692. [PMID: 31669395 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2019.104692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing recognition that application of mechanistic approaches to understand cross-species shared molecular targets and pathway conservation in the context of hazard characterization, provide significant opportunities in risk assessment (RA) for both human health and environmental safety. Specifically, it has been recognized that a more comprehensive and reliable understanding of similarities and differences in biological pathways across a variety of species will better enable cross-species extrapolation of potential adverse toxicological effects. Ultimately, this would also advance the generation and use of mechanistic data for both human health and environmental RA. A workshop brought together representatives from industry, academia and government to discuss how to improve the use of existing data, and to generate new NAMs data to derive better mechanistic understanding between humans and environmentally-relevant species, ultimately resulting in holistic chemical safety decisions. Thanks to a thorough dialogue among all participants, key challenges, current gaps and research needs were identified, and potential solutions proposed. This discussion highlighted the common objective to progress toward more predictive, mechanistically based, data-driven and animal-free chemical safety assessments. Overall, the participants recognized that there is no single approach which would provide all the answers for bridging the gap between mechanism-based human health and environmental RA, but acknowledged we now have the incentive, tools and data availability to address this concept, maximizing the potential for improvements in both human health and environmental RA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rivetti
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy E H Allen
- Centre for Molecular Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - James B Brown
- Department of Genome Dynamics Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Emma Butler
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul L Carmichael
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - John K Colbourne
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Dent
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Falciani
- Institute for Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Lina Gunnarsson
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - Steve Gutsell
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua A Harrill
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research & Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code B205-01, Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - Geoff Hodges
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Jennings
- Division of Molecular and Computational Toxicology, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Richard Judson
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research & Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code B205-01, Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - Aude Kienzler
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, VA, Italy
| | | | - Iris Muller
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Stewart F Owen
- AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TF, United Kingdom
| | - Cecilie Rendal
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul J Russell
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sharon Scott
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Sewell
- NC3Rs, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, United Kingdom
| | - Imran Shah
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research & Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code B205-01, Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - Ian Sorrel
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Mark R Viant
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Carl Westmoreland
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew White
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno Campos
- Unilever, Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Kosnik MB, Reif DM. Determination of chemical-disease risk values to prioritize connections between environmental factors, genetic variants, and human diseases. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019; 379:114674. [PMID: 31323264 PMCID: PMC6708494 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2019.114674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Traditional methods for chemical risk assessment are too time-consuming and resource-intensive to characterize either the diversity of chemicals to which humans are exposed or how that diversity may manifest in population susceptibility differences. The advent of novel toxicological data sources and their integration with bioinformatic databases affords opportunities for modern approaches that consider gene-environment (GxE) interactions in population risk assessment. Here, we present an approach that systematically links multiple data sources to relate chemical risk values to diseases and gene-disease variants. These data sources include high-throughput screening (HTS) results from Tox21/ToxCast, chemical-disease relationships from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), hazard data from resources like the Integrated Risk Information System, exposure data from the ExpoCast initiative, and gene-variant-disease information from the DisGeNET database. We use these integrated data to identify variants implicated in chemical-disease enrichments and develop a new value that estimates the risk of these associations toward differential population responses. Finally, we use this value to prioritize chemical-disease associations by exploring the genomic distribution of variants implicated in high-risk diseases. We offer this modular approach, termed DisQGOS (Disease Quotient Genetic Overview Score), for relating overall chemical-disease risk to potential for population variable responses, as a complement to methods aiming to modernize aspects of risk assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marissa B Kosnik
- Toxicology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America; Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America.
| | - David M Reif
- Toxicology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America; Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Critical assessment and integration of separate lines of evidence for risk assessment of chemical mixtures. Arch Toxicol 2019; 93:2741-2757. [PMID: 31520250 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02547-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to multiple chemicals on a daily basis instead of to just a single chemical, yet the majority of existing toxicity data comes from single-chemical exposure. Multiple factors must be considered such as the route, concentration, duration, and the timing of exposure when determining toxicity to the organism. The need for adequate model systems (in vivo, in vitro, in silico and mathematical) is paramount for better understanding of chemical mixture toxicity. Currently, shortcomings plague each model system as investigators struggle to find the appropriate balance of rigor, reproducibility and appropriateness in mixture toxicity studies. Significant questions exist when comparing single-to mixture-chemical toxicity concerning additivity, synergism, potentiation, or antagonism. Dose/concentration relevance is a major consideration and should be subthreshold for better accuracy in toxicity assessment. Previous work was limited by the technology and methodology of the time, but recent advances have resulted in significant progress in the study of mixture toxicology. Novel technologies have added insight to data obtained from in vivo studies for predictive toxicity testing. These include new in vitro models: omics-related tools, organs-on-a-chip and 3D cell culture, and in silico methods. Taken together, all these modern methodologies improve the understanding of the multiple toxicity pathways associated with adverse outcomes (e.g., adverse outcome pathways), thus allowing investigators to better predict risks linked to exposure to chemical mixtures. As technology and knowledge advance, our ability to harness and integrate separate streams of evidence regarding outcomes associated with chemical mixture exposure improves. As many national and international organizations are currently stressing, studies on chemical mixture toxicity are of primary importance.
Collapse
|