Towards harmonisation of testing of nanomaterials for EU regulatory requirements on chemical safety - A proposal for further actions

Over the recent years, EU chemicals legislation, guidance and test guidelines have been developed or adapted for nanomaterials to facilitate safe use of nanomaterials. This paper provides an overview of the information requirements across different EU regulatory areas. For each information requirement, a group of 22 experts identified potential needs for further action to accommodate guidance and test guidelines to nanomaterials. Eleven different needs for action were identified, capturing twenty-two information requirements that are specific to nanomaterials and relevant to multiple regulatory areas. These were further reduced to three overarching issues: 1) resolve issues around nanomaterial dispersion stability and dosing in toxicity testing, in particular for human health endpoints, 2) further develop tests or guidance on degradation and transformation of organic nanomaterials or nanomaterials with organic components, and 3) further develop tests and guidance to measure (a)cellular reactivity of nanomaterials. Efforts towards addressing these issues will result in better fit-for-purpose test methods for (EU) regulatory compliance. Moreover, it secures validity of hazard and risk assessments of nanomaterials. The results of the study accentuate the need for a structural process of identification of information needs and knowledge generation, preferably as part of risk governance and closely connected to technological innovation policy.

LXR-beta signalling is a key mediator in the pathogenesis of aortic valve stenosis and its prevention by saringosterol

Background

Cholesterol metabolism contributes as a risk factor for aortic valve stenosis (AS), but pharmacological approaches remained unsatisfying. The liver-X-receptor (LXR) is a key regulator in cholesterol metabolism, though its clinical use is limited due to unwanted side effects. The seaweed-derived oxysterol saringosterol is an agonist of the LXRβ, promising a more favourable tolerability.

Purpose

This study aimed to better understand the pathophysiology of aortic valve stenosis and to assess the potential of saringosterol as a targeted pharmacotherapy.

Methods

Tissue samples from aortic valves were collected from patients with AS or aortic valve regurgitation (AR). Transcriptomics were performed and gene ontology (GO) analysis was used to determine pathways and genes that are relevant to AS, and then validated using qPCR.

In vivo, mice received a wire-induced aortic valve stenosis and were either fed a diet supplemented with saringosterol or control diet. Haemodynamic characteristics were assessed using echocardiography. Additionally, hepatic concentrations of saringosterol, expression of LXRβ regulated genes as well as aortic valve thickness and composition were assessed.

In vitro, human aortic valve interstitial cells (VIC) were cultured in a procalcifing medium and stimulated with saringosterol to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Results

Transcriptomic analysis of AS samples revealed the regulation of several GO-terms related to cholesterol- or lipid metabolism. Many of the genes identified were regulated by LXRβ, suggesting its pathophysiological relevance in AS. We validated this assumption by performing qPCR from aortic valves for the most prominent downstream targets of LXRβ, ABCA1 and ABCG1, with both being differentially regulated.

In vivo, treatment with saringosterol for six weeks resulted in a significant accumulation of saringosterol in liver tissue as well as induction of LXRβ-regulated genes. Furthermore, treatment with saringosterol strikingly reduced the development of AS after wire injury as assessed by echocardiographic and histological measurements.

In vitro, the differentiation of VIC into osteoblastic and myofibroblastic phenotypes was abolished by saringosterol, which reduced the expression of the procalcifying mediators RUNX-2 and ACTA-2 in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion

We identified LXRβ-signalling as a key regulator in the pathophysiology of AS. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that cholesterol metabolism was altered in human AS, and many of the genes involved were linked to the LXRβ. In a murine model, we demonstrated that oral application of saringosterol induced LXRβ-activity and mitigated the development of AS. In vitro experiments demonstrated that saringosterol prevents adverse cell differentiation of VIC, which provides a mechanistic explanation.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): BONFOR Universität Bonn

Regulatory and Policy Considerations Around Genome Editing in Agriculture

The increasingly widespread use of genome editing brought with it a fierce debate about the most adequate regulation of this latest innovation in modern biotechnology and the products resulting from it. In almost all cases, this debate has become a repetition or continuation of the deliberations concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) of the 1990s and early 2000s.This chapter aims to untangle the historically influenced and often biased arguments of the debates by addressing the complex question of the correct interpretation of relevant underlying law and its applicability. In doing so, the chapter considers 25 countries and regions that have published results or ongoing investigations and discussions pertaining to the governance of genome editing in their jurisdictions: 16 have published policies or signed statements that exempt gene edited plants from GMO-regulations, as long as no foreign DNA or transgene remained in the final product. Such exemptions are based on the widely supported acceptance that the products of the underlying genome editing processes resemble those of "conventional breeding" techniques. These policies and statements often refer to the important role that modern precision biotechnologies, of which genome editing is one, play in addressing some of the world's overarching challenges, such as the loss of biodiversity, pest and disease control, and climate change; they are furthermore shown to exhibit an adherence to the four universal principles of good regulation: (a) proportionality, (b) non-discrimination, (c) predictability, and (d) enforceability. And while it is the right of jurisdictions to develop their own regulations independent from that of their neighbors, it is specifically the principle of "enforceability" that may become the ultimate litmus test of those regulations that do not grant exemptions from GMO-regulations.

P5625Markers for cholesterol absorption are associated with In-stent-restenosis after coronary stenting in stable coronary artery disease: An Optical Coherence Tomography study

Background

Plant sterols are suspected to exert atherosclerotic propensity. Modern drug-eluting stents are superior to bare metal stents but show a late catch up phenomenon for restenosis. Due to its superb resolution, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the capability to identify and quantifiy very early patterns of in-stent proliferation. Studies have shown that in-stent neointimal proliferation is linked to late in-stent stenosis.

Purpose

This study aimed to analyze associations of plasma levels for markers of cholesterol homeostasis such as campesterol and sitosterol (markers for cholesterol absorption) as well as lanosterol (marker for cholesterol synthesis)and and their respective oxides with In-stent restenosis after stent deployment in stable coronary artery disease.

Methods

Plasma cholesterol was measured by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Plasma campesterol, sitosterol and lanosterol and their oxides were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass selective detection. In-stent proliferation (restenosis) was assessed after six months by OCT in 33 patients (21 males). A quantitative OCT algorithm was applied to each stent by steps of one mm and in-stent proliferation volumes and areas were calculated and normalized to stent length and area. In-stent proliferation can be measured by OCT as global volumes and focal areas.

Results

No clinically significant restenosis or angiographic restenosis of >30% was observed at 6-month f/u. Mean cholesterol level was 166,5±62,8 mg/dl and positively correlated with proliferation volume/cm (r=0.316, p=0.037) and absolute median proliferation area (r=0.322, p=0.029). Absolute median proliferation area and relative median proliferation area correlated positively with markers for cholesterol absorption such as campesterol-to-cholesterol (r=0.277, p=0.07 and 0.315, p=0.037) and sitosterol-to-cholesterol (r=0.237, p=0.092 and 0.322, p=0.034), whereas lanosterol (a marker for cholesterol synthesis) and its ratio to cholesterol correlated negatively with proliferation volumes and areas (p<0.05; table). Moreover, 7-beta-OH-campesterol correlated positively with proliferation volumes and areas (p<0.05, table). Also, the ratio of 7-beta-OH-campesterol-to-cholesterol correlated positively with proliferation volumes and areas (p<0.1,; table), but did not reach significance in this relatively small sample size. Morevover, there was a positive association of the sum of all plant sterol oxides with In-stent restenosis (data not shown).

Conclusions

In this hypothesis-generating study, in-stent proliferation assessed by OCT at six months follow-up was positively associated with markers for cholesterol absorption and negatively associated with markers for cholesterol synthesis. Larger studies will have to evaluate whether patients with high cholesterol absorption might benefit in particular from combined-lipid-lowering therapy with a statin and a cholesterol absorption Inhibitor.

Meeting report of the OECD conference on "Genome Editing: Applications in Agriculture-Implications for Health, Environment and Regulation"

The "OECD Conference on Genome Editing: Applications in Agriculture-Implications for Health, Environment and Regulation" was held on the 28-29 June 2018 at the OECD headquarter and conference centre in Paris, France. It brought together policy makers, academia, innovators and other stakeholders involved in the topic, in order to take stock of the current technical developments and implementations of genome editing, as well as their applications in various areas of agriculture and the implications they give rise to (More information on the "OECD Conference on Genome Editing: Applications in Agriculture-Implications for Health, Environment and Regulation" can be found on the OECD Genome Editing hub: http://www.oecd.org/environment/genome-editing-agriculture/ ; the hub also contains the detailed conference programme, the biographies of all conference speakers, the detailed conference abstracts, and the presentations of the two-day conference). The conference aimed to provide a clearer understanding of the regulatory considerations raised by products of genome editing, pointing towards a coherent policy approach to facilitate innovations involving genome editing.

Secondary Interactions in Gold(I) Complexes with Thione Ligands, 4. Three Further Salts of the Bis(imidazolidine-2-thione)gold(I) Cation [1, 2]

Three structures of the form bis(imidazolidine-2-thione)gold(I) disulfonylamide [disulfonylamide = benzene-1,2-di(sulfonyl)amide (1), di(4-chlorobenzenesulfonyl)amide (2), di(4-iodobenzenesulfonyl) amide (3)] were determined. Compound 3 crystallizes with four independent formula units. The cations in 1 and 3 show an antiperiplanar conformation about the S···S axis, whereas the corresponding torsion angle in 2 is 72°. The packing in 1 consists of linked ribbons in which the NH groups of neighbouring cations are bridged by O-S-O groups of the anions. Compound 2 exhibits a complex layer structure in which several multi-centre hydrogen bonds are observed. The structural subunits of compound 3 involve an alternating anion-cation chain for two of the cations and inversionsymmetric anion-cation dimers for the other two cations. Short C-H···Au contacts (shortest H···Au 2.63 Å in 2) contribute to the packing of compounds 2 and 3.

Secondary Interactions in Gold(I) Complexes with Thione Ligands. 2. Three Ionic Camphorsulfonates with Z’ = 2 [1]

All three structures of the form bis(thione)gold(I) camphor-10-sulfonate [thione = imidazolidine-2-thione, 1; 1-methyl-imidazolidine-2-thione, 2; thiazolidine-2-thione, 3] crystallize in chiral space groups with Z′ = 2; local inversion symmetry of the cationic assemblies (less pronounced for 3) provides some rationalisation for this. The basic structural units are accounted for in terms of classical hydrogen bonds, leading to rings involving ion pairs for 1 and 2, but to infinite chains of anions and cations for 3. Neighbouring ion pairs in 1 are joined by further classical hydrogen bonds, in 2 via interactions between parallel S-Au-S axes. Other interactions include Au···N for 1, Au···S and Au···O for 3, and weak hydrogen bonds C-H···O and C-H···S, especially between adjacent chains in 3. Each structure is divided into hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.

The plant sterol brassicasterol as additional CSF biomarker in Alzheimer's disease

OBJECTIVE

Plant sterols (sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and brassicasterol) are solely dietary-derivable sterols that are structurally very similar to cholesterol. In contrast to peripheral cholesterol, plant sterols can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate within mammalian brain. As an impaired function of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-blood barrier is linked to neurodegenerative disorders, i.e. Alzheimer's disease (AD), we investigated whether this results in altered plant sterol concentrations in CSF.

METHOD

Applying gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis, plant sterol concentrations were measured in plasma and CSF of patients with AD (n = 67) and controls (n = 29). Age, gender, plasma-to-CSF albumin ratio, CSF Aβ(42) , CSF pTau, APOE4 genotype, and serum creatinine were applied as covariates in the statistical analysis for individual plant sterols in order to compare plasma and CSF plant sterol concentrations between patients with AD and controls.

RESULTS

Albumin quotient was a consistent predictor in CSF for cholesterol and methyl plant sterols campesterol and brassicasterol. Comparison of lipid parameters per diagnosis based on relevant predictors revealed significantly lower concentrations of brassicasterol (P < 0.001) in CSF of patients with AD. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that brassicasterol improved the predictive value when added to pTau and Aβ42 in a biomarker model.

CONCLUSION

Brassicasterol might be a relevant additional biomarker in AD.

The Crystallography of Metal Halides formed within Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The crystal growth behaviour and crystallography of a variety of metal halides incorporated within single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as determined by high resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) is described. Simple packed structures, such as the alkali halides, form related structures within SWNTs that are found to be integral atomic layers in terms of their thickness as a function of the encapsulating SWNT diameter. An enhanced HRTEM image restoration technique reveals precise data concerning lattice distortions present in these crystals. More complex structures, such as those derived from 3D complex, layered and chain halides form related crystal structures within SWNTs. In narrow SWNTs (i.e. with diameters less than ca. 1.6 nm), structures consisting of individual 1D polyhedral chains (1D-PHCs) were obtained that were derived from the corresponding bulk halides structures. In the case of infinite 3D network and layered halides, the 1D polyhedral chains form with lower co-ordinations than in the bulk. Molecular halides also intercalate into SWNTs but these do not readily form organised structures within SWNTs.

Secondary interactions in gold(I) complexes with thione ligands. 5. Two ionic compounds of the form bis(thione)gold(I) bis(4-halobenzenesulfonyl)amide

Bis(1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione-kappaS2)gold(I) bis(4-chlorobenzenesulfonyl)amide, [Au(C3H5NS2)2](C12H8Cl2NS2O4), has no imposed symmetry. Classical N-H...N and N-H...O hydrogen bonds link the residues to form chains parallel to the b axis. Weaker interactions involve C-H...O, C-H...Au and a number of X...Cl contacts (X = Cl, S or Au) clustered in the region y approximately equal to 1/4}. In bis(1-methylimidazolidine-2-thione-kappaS2)gold(I) bis(4-iodobenzenesulfonyl)amide, [Au(C4H8N2S)2](C12H8I2NS2O4), the Au atom of the cation and the N atom of the anion lie on the twofold axis (0, y, 1/4}) in the space group C2/c. The formula unit forms a self-contained ring with two symmetry-equivalent N-H...O hydrogen bonds, and weak C-H...X (X = O, I or S), Au...I and I...I contacts are observed. In both compounds, the anions display extended conformations.

The formation of low-dimensional metal trihalide crystals in carbon nanotubes

Molecular dynamics computer simulation models are employed to study the direct filling of single-walled carbon nanotubes (which vary in diameter) with an archetypal metal trihalide, LaCl3. The use of relatively simple potential models allows the investigation of details of both the atomistic filling mechanism and the thermodynamic factors controlling the formation. The resulting low-dimensional crystallites are analysed with respect to bulk crystal structures and compared to experimental high-resolution transmission-electron-microscopy images by simulation of equivalent micrographs from one of the obtained potential models, resulting in excellent agreement between the simulated and experimental images.

Crystallographic order in multi-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized in the presence of nitrogen

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition from pure toluene and toluene/diazine mixtures using ferrocene as a catalyst precursor at 760 degrees C. As recently announced, characterization of the resulting nanotube films showed that, unlike pure carbon nanotubes, those grown in the presence of nitrogen have an extremely high degree of internal order, both in terms of the uniform chirality in the nanotube walls and of the crystallographic register between them. Here, the structure, defects, and morphology of the nanotubes were analyzed in depth using advanced electron microscopy techniques, and compared with existing models and observations. Nitrogen, which seems to be responsible for the dramatic structural order, was found to segregate preferentially within the core of the nanotubes.

LaI2@(18,3)SWNT: the unprecedented structure of a LaI2 "Crystal," encapsulated within a single-walled carbon nanotube

The novel crystallization properties of nano-materials represent a great challenge to researchers across all disciplines of materials science. Simple binary solids can be found to adopt unprecedented structures, when confined into nanometer-sized cavities, such as the inner cylindrical bore of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). Lanthanum iodide was encapsulated within SWNTs and the resulting encapsulation composite was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging techniques, to reveal a one-dimensional crystal fragment, with the stoichiometry of LaI2, crystallizing in the structure of LaI3 with one third of the iodine positions unoccupied. A complete characterization of the encapsulation composite was achieved using an enhanced image restoration technique, which restores the object wave from a focal series of HRTEM images, providing information about the precise structural data of both filling material and host SWNT, and thereby enabling the identification of the SWNT chirality.

Phase Separation of LaI3 inside Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Simple binary solids can be found to adopt unprecedented structures when confined into nanometre-sized cavities, such as the inner cylindrical bore of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). In the case of the discussed Lal(x)@SWNT encapsulation composite, the Lal2 "crystal" fragment adopts the structure of bulk Lal3, with one third of the iodine positions unoccupied. A complete characterisation of the encapsulation composite was achieved using an enhanced digital restoration approach of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images. The resulting complex exit surface wave provides information about the precise structural data of both filling material and host SWNT, establishing the SWNT's chirality and thus enabling a prediction of the composite's overall electron-transport properties.

An encapsulated helical one-dimensional cobalt iodide nanostructure

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be used as templates for the growth of low-dimensional inorganic materials whose structures and properties often differ greatly from those of the bulk. Here we describe the detailed crystallography of an entire helical one-dimensional cobalt diiodide nanostructure encapsulated within a SWNT. This material has an unprecedented twisted double tetrahedral chain structure arising from a rotation of Co(2)I(4) units along its length. The complete nanostructure comprises two distinct regions with oppositely handed helices separated by a short disordered region. The encapsulating SWNT shows a commensurate ovoid distortion reflecting an unexpectedly strong interaction between the nanostructure and the SWNT.

A composite method for the determination of the chirality of single walled carbon nanotubes

An approach to the unambiguous determination of the conformation of individual single walled nanotubes utilizing high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and digital image processing is described. The exit plane wave of single walled nanotubes restored from a focal series of images is used in a stepwise characterization procedure utilizing both the phase of the real space restoration and its Fourier transform. A combination of these complementary characterization steps yields an accurate measurement of the chiral vector for an individual nanotube.

Metastable one-dimensional AgCl(1)-(x)I(x) solid-solution wurzite "tunnel" crystals formed within single-walled carbon nanotubes

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and spatially resolved electron loss spectroscopy have revealed that a eutectic mixture of AgCl and AgI crystallizes within single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as metastable AgCl(1-)(x)I(x) 1D solid solution crystals. The incorporated halide crystals form wurzite "tunnel" structures with locally varying Cl:I ratios and reduced Ag coordination.

Nocturnal plasma melatonin levels after flunitrazepam administration in healthy subjects

Polysomnographic sleep patterns and melatonin secretion were investigated in 5 young (age 25.6 +/- 1.1 years) and 5 middle-aged (age 49.4 +/- 5.4 years) healthy male subjects after intravenous administration of 1 mg flunitrazepam and placebo in a randomized, double-blind and cross-over setting. The area under the curve (AUC) of total nocturnal melatonin plasma concentration decreased 23.3 +/- 11.5% in young subjects (P < or = 0.05) and 39.3 +/- 5.2% in middle-aged subjects (P < or = 0.05) after flunitrazepam infusion compared with placebo infusion. Differences in nocturnal peak values of melatonin were 5.4 +/- 22.0% in young subjects (not significant) and 34.0 +/- 14.7% in middle-aged subjects (p < or = 0.05). Flunitrazepam significantly (P < or = 0.05) improved sleep latency and the number of sleep stage changes in the group of all subjects. These results show that, although the benzodiazepine flunitrazepam improves sleep, it reduces the nocturnal secretion of melatonin, and therefore alters the circadian rhythm of a hormone which is supposed to play a special role in circadian sleep-wake rhythmicity.