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Panagiotou EM, Damdimopoulos A, Li T, Moussaud-Lamodière E, Pedersen M, Lebre F, Pettersson K, Arnelo C, Papaikonomou K, Alfaro-Moreno E, Lindskog C, Svingen T, Damdimopoulou P. Exposure to the phthalate metabolite MEHP impacts survival and growth of human ovarian follicles in vitro. Toxicology 2024; 505:153815. [PMID: 38685446 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2024.153815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Phthalates are found in everyday items like plastics and personal care products. There is an increasing concern that continuous exposure can adversely affect female fertility. However, experimental data are lacking to establish causal links between exposure and disease in humans. To address this gap, we tested the effects of a common phthalate metabolite, mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), on adult human ovaries in vitro using an epidemiologically determined human-relevant concentration range (2.05 nM - 20.51 mM). Histomorphological assessments, steroid and cytokine measurements were performed on human ovarian tissue exposed to MEHP for 7 days in vitro. Cell viability and gene expression profile were investigated following 7 days of MEHP exposure using the human granulosa cancer cell lines KGN, and COV434, the germline tumor cell line PA-1, and human ovarian primary cells. Selected differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated by RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence in human ovarian tissue. MEHP exposure reduced follicular growth (20.51 nM) and increased follicular degeneration (20.51 mM) in ovarian tissue, while not affecting steroid and cytokine production. Out of the 691 unique DEGs identified across all the cell types and concentrations, CSRP2 involved in cytoskeleton organization and YWHAE as well as CTNNB1 involved in the Hippo pathway, were chosen for further validation. CSRP2 was upregulated and CTNNB1 downregulated in both ovarian tissue and cells, whereas YWHAE was downregulated in cells only. In summary, one-week MEHP exposure of human ovarian tissue can perturb the development and survival of human follicles through mechanisms likely involving dysregulation of cytoskeleton organization and Hippo pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleftheria Maria Panagiotou
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 14186, Sweden; Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden.
| | - Anastasios Damdimopoulos
- Bioinformatics and Expression Analysis Core Facility, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Tianyi Li
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 14186, Sweden; Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth Moussaud-Lamodière
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 14186, Sweden; Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Mikael Pedersen
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Filipa Lebre
- Nanosafety Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Karin Pettersson
- Department of Pregnancy and Delivery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catarina Arnelo
- Department of Pregnancy and Delivery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kiriaki Papaikonomou
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | | | - Cecilia Lindskog
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Cancer Precision Medicine, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Terje Svingen
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Pauliina Damdimopoulou
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 14186, Sweden; Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
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Li T, Vazakidou P, Leonards PEG, Damdimopoulos A, Panagiotou EM, Arnelo C, Jansson K, Pettersson K, Papaikonomou K, van Duursen M, Damdimopoulou P. Identification of biomarkers and outcomes of endocrine disruption in human ovarian cortex using In Vitro Models. Toxicology 2023; 485:153425. [PMID: 36621641 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are raising concerns about adverse effects on fertility in women. However, there is a lack of information regarding mechanisms and effects in humans. Our study aims to identify mechanisms of endocrine disruption using two EDCs, diethylstilbestrol (DES) and ketoconazole (KTZ)1. Human ovarian cortical tissue obtained from Caesarean section patients was exposed to 10-9 M - 10-5 M KTZ and 10-10 M - 10-6 M DES in vitro for 6 days. Follicle survival and growth were studied via histology analysis and liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry-based steroid quantification. RNA-sequencing was performed on COV434, KGN, and primary ovarian cells that were exposed for 24 h. Significantly lower unilaminar follicle densities were observed in DES 10-10 M group, whereas low KTZ exposure reduced secondary follicle density. KTZ 10-5 M reduced levels of pregnenolone and progesterone. RNA-sequencing revealed that 445 and 233 differentially expressed genes (false discovery rate < 0.1) altogether in DES and KTZ exposed groups. Gene set variation analysis showed that both chemicals modulated pathways that are important for folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis. We selected stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) for further validation. Up-regulation of both genes in response to KTZ was confirmed by qPCR and in situ RNA hybridization. Further validation with immunofluorescence focused on the expression of SCD in growing follicles in exposed ovarian tissue. In conclusion, SCD may serve as a potential novel human-relevant biomarker of EDC exposure and effects on ovaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Li
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Paraskevi Vazakidou
- Department Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Pim E G Leonards
- Department Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Anastasios Damdimopoulos
- Bioinformatics and Expression Analysis Core Facility, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Eleftheria Maria Panagiotou
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Catarina Arnelo
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kerstin Jansson
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Karin Pettersson
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kiriaki Papaikonomou
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Majorie van Duursen
- Department Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Pauliina Damdimopoulou
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Svingen T, Villeneuve DL, Knapen D, Panagiotou EM, Draskau MK, Damdimopoulou P, O'Brien JM. A pragmatic approach to Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) development and evaluation. Toxicol Sci 2021; 184:183-190. [PMID: 34534351 PMCID: PMC8633887 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework provides a practical means for organizing scientific knowledge that can be used to infer cause-effect relationships between stressor events and toxicity outcomes in intact organisms. It has reached wide acceptance as a tool to aid chemical safety assessment and regulatory toxicology by supporting a systematic way of predicting adverse health outcomes based on accumulated mechanistic knowledge. A major challenge for broader application of the AOP concept in regulatory toxicology, however, has been developing robust AOPs to a level where they are peer reviewed and accepted. This is because the amount of work required to substantiate the modular units of a complete AOP is considerable, to the point where it can take years from start to finish. To help alleviate this bottleneck, we propose a more pragmatic approach to AOP development whereby the focus becomes on smaller blocks. First, we argue that the key event relationship (KER) should be formally recognized as the core building block of knowledge assembly within the AOP knowledge base (AOP-KB), albeit framing them within full AOPs to ensure regulatory utility. Second, we argue that KERs should be developed using systematic review approaches, but only in cases where the underlying concept does not build on what is considered canonical knowledge. In cases where knowledge is considered canonical, rigorous systematic review approaches should not be required. It is our hope that these approaches will contribute to increasing the pace at which the AOP-KB is populated with AOPs with utility for chemical safety assessors and regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terje Svingen
- Division of Diet, Disease Prevention and Toxicology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, DK, 2800, Denmark
| | - Daniel L Villeneuve
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Dries Knapen
- Zebrafishlab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Eleftheria Maria Panagiotou
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, 14186, Sweden
| | - Monica Kam Draskau
- Division of Diet, Disease Prevention and Toxicology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, DK, 2800, Denmark
| | - Pauliina Damdimopoulou
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, 14186, Sweden
| | - Jason M O'Brien
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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