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Hopf NB, Suter-Dick L, Huwyler J, Borgatta M, Hegg L, Pamies D, Paschoud H, Puligilla RD, Reale E, Werner S, Zurich MG. Novel Strategy to Assess the Neurotoxicity of Organic Solvents Such as Glycol Ethers: Protocol for Combining In Vitro and In Silico Methods With Human-Controlled Exposure Experiments. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e50300. [PMID: 38236630 PMCID: PMC10835597 DOI: 10.2196/50300] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemicals are not required to be tested systematically for their neurotoxic potency, although they may contribute to the development of several neurological diseases. The absence of systematic testing may be partially explained by the current Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines, which rely on animal experiments that are expensive, laborious, and ethically debatable. Therefore, it is important to understand the risks to exposed workers and the general population exposed to domestic products. In this study, we propose a strategy to test the neurotoxicity of solvents using the commonly used glycol ethers as a case study. OBJECTIVE This study aims to provide a strategy that can be used by regulatory agencies and industries to rank solvents according to their neurotoxicity and demonstrate the use of toxicokinetic modeling to predict air concentrations of solvents that are below the no observed adverse effect concentrations (NOAECs) for human neurotoxicity determined in in vitro assays. METHODS The proposed strategy focuses on a complex 3D in vitro brain model (BrainSpheres) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This model is accompanied by in vivo, in vitro, and in silico models for the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and in vitro models for liver metabolism. The data are integrated into a toxicokinetic model. Internal concentrations predicted using this toxicokinetic model are compared with the results from in vivo human-controlled exposure experiments for model validation. The toxicokinetic model is then used in reverse dosimetry to predict air concentrations, leading to brain concentrations lower than the NOAECs determined in the hiPSC-derived 3D brain model. These predictions will contribute to the protection of exposed workers and the general population with domestic exposures. RESULTS The Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology funded the project, commencing in January 2021. The Human Ethics Committee approval was obtained on November 16, 2022. Zebrafish experiments and in vitro methods started in February 2021, whereas recruitment of human volunteers started in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions were lifted. We anticipate that we will be able to provide a neurotoxicity testing strategy by 2026 and predicted air concentrations for 6 commonly used propylene glycol ethers based on toxicokinetic models incorporating liver metabolism, BBB leakage parameters, and brain toxicity. CONCLUSIONS This study will be of great interest to regulatory agencies and chemical industries needing and seeking novel solutions to develop human chemical risk assessments. It will contribute to protecting human health from the deleterious effects of environmental chemicals. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/50300.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B Hopf
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Laura Suter-Dick
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Huwyler
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Myriam Borgatta
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Hegg
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - David Pamies
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Paschoud
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ramya Deepthi Puligilla
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Reale
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Werner
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marie-Gabrielle Zurich
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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