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Clair HB, Pinkston CM, Rai SN, Pavuk M, Dutton ND, Brock GN, Prough RA, Falkner KC, McClain CJ, Cave MC. Liver Disease in a Residential Cohort With Elevated Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposures. Toxicol Sci 2018; 164:39-49. [PMID: 29684222 PMCID: PMC6016643 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfy076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine and metabolism disrupting chemicals (EDCs/MDCs) have been associated with environmental liver diseases including toxicant-associated steatohepatitis (TASH). TASH has previously been characterized by hepatocellular necrosis, disrupted intermediary metabolism, and liver inflammation. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental EDCs/MDCs associated with the genesis and progression of steatohepatitis in animal models and human liver injury in epidemiology studies. The cross-sectional Anniston Community Health Survey (ACHS) investigates ortho-substituted PCB exposures and health effects near a former PCB manufacturing complex. The rates of obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia were previously determined to be high in ACHS. In this study, 738 ACHS participants were categorized by liver disease status using the serum cytokeratin 18 biomarker. Associations between PCB exposures and mechanistic biomarkers of intermediary metabolism, inflammation, and hepatocyte death were determined. The liver disease prevalence was high (60.2%), and 80.7% of these individuals were categorized as having TASH. Sex and race/ethnicity differences were noted. TASH was associated with increased exposures to specific PCB congeners, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, proinflammatory cytokines, and liver necrosis. These findings are consistent with PCB-related steatohepatitis. ΣPCBs was inversely associated with insulin resistance/production, leptin, and hepatocyte apoptosis, while other adipocytokines were increased. This is possibly the largest environmental liver disease study applying mechanistic biomarkers ever performed and the most comprehensive analysis of PCBs and adipocytokines. It provides insight into the mechanisms of PCB-related endocrine and metabolic disruption in liver disease and diabetes. In the future, associations between additional exposures and liver disease biomarkers will be evaluated in the ACHS and follow-up ACHS-II studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather B Clair
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Christina M Pinkston
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
- Biostatistics Shared Facility, James Graham Brown Cancer Center
- Hepatobiology and Toxicology COBRE Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Shesh N Rai
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
- Biostatistics Shared Facility, James Graham Brown Cancer Center
- Hepatobiology and Toxicology COBRE Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Marian Pavuk
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Atlanta, Georgia 30341
| | - Nina D Dutton
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Participant, ATSDR, Atlanta, Georgia 30341
| | - Guy N Brock
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
| | - Russell A Prough
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Keith Cameron Falkner
- Hepatobiology and Toxicology COBRE Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- University of Louisville Alcohol Research Center, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Craig J McClain
- Hepatobiology and Toxicology COBRE Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Participant, ATSDR, Atlanta, Georgia 30341
- University of Louisville Alcohol Research Center, Louisville, Kentucky
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- The Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky 40206
- The KentuckyOne Health Jewish Hospital Liver Transplant Program, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Matthew C Cave
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- Hepatobiology and Toxicology COBRE Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Participant, ATSDR, Atlanta, Georgia 30341
- University of Louisville Alcohol Research Center, Louisville, Kentucky
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
- The Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky 40206
- The KentuckyOne Health Jewish Hospital Liver Transplant Program, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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Grimm FA, He X, Teesch LM, Lehmler HJ, Robertson LW, Duffel MW. Tissue Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion of 3,3'-Dichloro-4'-sulfooxy-biphenyl in the Rat. Environ Sci Technol 2015; 49:8087-95. [PMID: 26046945 PMCID: PMC4496304 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with less chlorine atoms exhibit a greater susceptibility to metabolism than their more-chlorinated counterparts. Following initial hydroxylation of these less-chlorinated PCBs, metabolic sulfation to form PCB sulfates is increasingly recognized as an important component of their toxicology. Because procedures for the quantitative analysis of PCB sulfates in tissue samples have not been previously available, we have now developed an efficient, LC-ESI-MS/MS-based protocol for the quantitative analysis of 4-PCB 11 sulfate in biological samples. This procedure was used to determine the distribution of 4-PCB 11 sulfate in liver, kidney, lung, and brain as well as its excretion profile following its intravenous administration to male Sprague-Dawley rats. Following initial uptake of 4-PCB 11 sulfate, its concentration in these tissues and serum declined within the first hour following injection. Although biliary secretion was detected, analysis of 24 h collections of urine and feces revealed recovery of less than 4% of the administered 4-PCB 11 sulfate. High-resolution LC-MS analysis of bile, urine, and feces showed metabolic products derived from 4-PCB 11 sulfate. Thus, 4-PCB 11 sulfate at this dose was not directly excreted in the urine but was instead redistributed to tissues and/or subjected to further metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian A. Grimm
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Xianran He
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Lynn M. Teesch
- High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA
| | - Hans-Joachim Lehmler
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Larry W. Robertson
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Michael W. Duffel
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Address correspondence to Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, 115 South Grand Ave, S325, Iowa City, IA, 52246. Telephone: 319-335-8840. Fax: 319-335-8766.
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Tsuji M. Useful biomarkers for assessing the adverse health effects of PCBs in allergic children: pediatric molecular epidemiology. Environ Health Prev Med 2015; 20:3-11. [PMID: 25344634 PMCID: PMC4284252 DOI: 10.1007/s12199-014-0419-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The incidences of childhood allergies have been increasing in recent years in many parts of the world. The development of allergic disorders is attributed to a complex series of interactions between individuals' genetic backgrounds and their immune and psychoneurotic responses to environmental factors. Among the various possible environmental causes of childhood allergies, the early exposure of developing infants to air pollutants and the presence of persistent chemical pollutants such as pesticides have been suggested most frequently. Therefore, it is very important to obtain epidemiological evidence of direct associations between clearly defined adverse health effects and exposure to low levels of pollutants. However, there are no useful biomarkers for assessing such associations. Thus, we planned to establish reliable health-related biomarkers that could be used to investigate these relationships in children. The serum concentrations of several sub-types of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were found to be significantly correlated with interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA expression among asthmatic children. In addition, IL-22 mRNA expression was found to be particularly useful for detecting the effects of environmental pollutants, especially PCB congeners, in a sub-population of vulnerable children who exhibited positive immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses to milk or egg. Furthermore, we detected significant differences in IL-22 mRNA expression between the IgE-negative non-asthmatic subjects and the asthmatic children who exhibited positive IgE reactions toward egg or milk. In conclusion, IL-8 and IL-22 mRNA expressions could be useful biomarkers for detecting sub-populations of children who are particularly vulnerable to the adverse health effects of environmental pollutants, especially PCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayumi Tsuji
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyusyu, 807-8555, Japan,
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Hopf NB, Ruder AM, Succop P, Waters MA. Evaluation of cumulative PCB exposure estimated by a job exposure matrix versus PCB serum concentrations. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2014; 21:6314-23. [PMID: 23475397 PMCID: PMC4557726 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1574-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Although polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned in many countries for more than three decades, exposures to PCBs continue to be of concern due to their long half-lives and carcinogenic effects. In National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studies, we are using semiquantitative plant-specific job exposure matrices (JEMs) to estimate historical PCB exposures for workers (n = 24,865) exposed to PCBs from 1938 to 1978 at three capacitor manufacturing plants. A subcohort of these workers (n = 410) employed in two of these plants had serum PCB concentrations measured at up to four times between 1976 and 1989. Our objectives were to evaluate the strength of association between an individual worker's measured serum PCB levels and the same worker's cumulative exposure estimated through 1977 with the (1) JEM and (2) duration of employment, and to calculate the explained variance the JEM provides for serum PCB levels using (3) simple linear regression. Consistent strong and statistically significant associations were observed between the cumulative exposures estimated with the JEM and serum PCB concentrations for all years. The strength of association between duration of employment and serum PCBs was good for highly chlorinated (Aroclor 1254/HPCB) but not less chlorinated (Aroclor 1242/LPCB) PCBs. In the simple regression models, cumulative occupational exposure estimated using the JEMs explained 14-24% of the variance of the Aroclor 1242/LPCB and 22-39% for Aroclor 1254/HPCB serum concentrations. We regard the cumulative exposure estimated with the JEM as a better estimate of PCB body burdens than serum concentrations quantified as Aroclor 1242/LPCB and Aroclor 1254/HPCB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B. Hopf
- Institute for Work and Health (IST), Route de la Corniche 2, CH-1066 Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Avima M. Ruder
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
| | - Paul Succop
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Kettering G29, PO Box 670056, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Martha A. Waters
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
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Abstract
Natural and manmade organic chemicals are widely deposited across a diverse range of ecosystems including air, surface water, groundwater, wastewater, soil, sediment, and marine environments. Some organic compounds, despite their industrial values, are toxic to living organisms and pose significant health risks to humans and wildlife. Detection and monitoring of these organic pollutants in environmental matrices therefore is of great interest and need for remediation and health risk assessment. Although these detections have traditionally been performed using analytical chemical approaches that offer highly sensitive and specific identification of target compounds, these methods require specialized equipment and trained operators, and fail to describe potential bioavailable effects on living organisms. Alternatively, the integration of bioluminescent systems into whole-cell bioreporters presents a new capacity for organic compound detection. These bioreporters are constructed by incorporating reporter genes into catabolic or signaling pathways that are present within living cells and emit a bioluminescent signal that can be detected upon exposure to target chemicals. Although relatively less specific compared to analytical methods, bioluminescent bioassays are more cost-effective, more rapid, can be scaled to higher throughput, and can be designed to report not only the presence but also the bioavailability of target substances. This chapter reviews available bacterial and eukaryotic whole-cell bioreporters for sensing organic pollutants and their applications in a variety of sample matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Xu
- Joint Institute for Biological Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Dan Close
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Abby Smartt
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA; Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Steven Ripp
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USADepartment of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Gary Sayler
- Joint Institute for Biological Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA; Center for Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA; Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Patayová H, Wimmerová S, Lancz K, Palkovičová Ľ, Drobná B, Fabišková A, Kováč J, Hertz-Picciotto I, Jusko TA, Trnovec T. Anthropometric, socioeconomic, and maternal health determinants of placental transfer of organochlorine compounds. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2013; 20:8557-66. [PMID: 23677752 PMCID: PMC4048999 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2012] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to relate placental transfer, quantified by the cord to maternal serum concentration ratio (C/M), of five organochlorine pesticides (OCP) hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) , p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and 15 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (28, 52, 101, 105, 114, 118, 123(+149), 138(+163), 153, 156(+171), 157, 167, 170, 180, and 189) to anthropometric, socioeconomic, and maternal health characteristics. We included into the study 1,134 births during the period 2002-2004 from two districts in eastern Slovakia with high organochlorine concentrations relative to other areas of the world. Only concentrations >LOD were taken into account. Variables as age, weight and height of mothers, parity, ethnicity, alcohol consumption, illness during pregnancy, smoking during pregnancy, hypertension, respiratory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus, and birth weight were related to C/M. Results of regression analyses showed that C/M was predicted by several factors studied. Positive associations were observed for gestational alcohol consumption, fewer illnesses during pregnancy, maternal age, and maternal weight. Caucasians had a greater C/M compared to Romani for wet weight data of congeners 170 and 180 and in contrast C/M for HCB was greater in Romani. Our results show that drinking mothers compared to abstaining expose their fetuses not only to alcohol but to an increased level of several PCB congeners. A straightforward explanation of associations between C/M shifts and factors studied is very difficult, however, with regard to the high lipophilicity of OCPs and PCBs, changes in their kinetics probably reflect lipid kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrieta Patayová
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Soňa Wimmerová
- Institute of Biophysics, Informatics and Biostatistics, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303
| | - Kinga Lancz
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ľubica Palkovičová
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Beata Drobná
- Department of Toxic Organic Pollutants, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna Fabišková
- Department of Toxic Organic Pollutants, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ján Kováč
- Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Comenius University, Faculty of Medicine in Bratislava, Špitálska 24, 81372 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Todd A. Jusko
- Epidemiology Branch, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 T. W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Tomáš Trnovec
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Meggo RE, Schnoor JL, Hu D. Dechlorination of PCBs in the rhizosphere of switchgrass and poplar. Environ Pollut 2013; 178:312-21. [PMID: 23603468 PMCID: PMC4294558 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2012] [Revised: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (PCB 52, 77, and 153) singly and in mixture were spiked and aged in soil microcosms and subsequently planted with switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) or poplar (Populus deltoids x nigra DN34). The planted reactors showed significantly greater reductions in PCB parent compounds when compared to unplanted systems after 32 weeks. There was evidence of reductive dechlorination in both planted and unplanted systems, but the planted microcosms with fully developed roots and rhizospheres showed greater biotransformation than the unplanted reactors. These dechlorination products accounted for approximately all of the molar mass of parent compound lost. Based on the transformation products, reductive dechlorination pathways are proposed for rhizospheric biotransformation of PCB 52, 77, and 153. This is the first report of rhizosphere biotransformation pathways for reductive dechlorination in marginally aerobic, intermittently flooded soil as evidenced by a mass balance on transformation products.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jerald L. Schnoor
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 4105 Seamans Center University of Iowa, IA, 52242, USA ()
| | - Dingfei Hu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 4105 Seamans Center University of Iowa, IA, 52242, USA ()
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Ludewig G, Robertson LW. Polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs) as initiating agents in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Lett 2013; 334:46-55. [PMID: 23211541 PMCID: PMC3648605 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2012.11.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
PCBs are carcinogens, but for many decades it was assumed that PCBs may not possess initiating activity. Initiation is a process that involves changes in the DNA sequence, often, but not exclusively produced through DNA adduction by a reactive compound or reactive oxygen species (ROS). DNA adducts can be detected by (32)P-postlabeling, a method that Dr. Ramesh Gupta co-developed and refined. Today these types of assays together with other mechanistic studies provide convincing evidence that specific PCB congeners can be biotransformed to genotoxic and therefore potentially initiating metabolites. This review will provide an overview of our current knowledge of PCBs' genotoxic potential and mechanism of action, emphasizing the contributions of Dr. Ramesh Gupta during his tenures at the Universities of Kentucky and Louisville.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Ludewig
- The University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus, IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, United States.
| | - Larry W Robertson
- The University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus, IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, United States
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Dhakal K, Adamcakova-Dodd A, Lehmler HJ, Thorne PS, Robertson LW. Sulfate conjugates are urinary markers of inhalation exposure to 4-chlorobiphenyl ( PCB3). Chem Res Toxicol 2013; 26:853-5. [PMID: 23713983 PMCID: PMC3703249 DOI: 10.1021/tx4001539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
PCBs are contaminants in the air of older buildings and cities, which raises the concern of inhalation exposure. No reliable biomarker of such exposure is available. We exposed rats to air containing 2 mg/m(3) PCB3 via nose-only inhalation for 2 h, collected urine, and analyzed it by LC/MS. Each rat inhaled an estimated dose of 35 μg PCB3, and excreted 27 ± 2% of it as sulfates within 24 h. Peak excretion occurred within 6 h. PCB sulfates were stable in urine for at least three days at room temperature without chemical preservatives. These data support the use of PCB sulfate conjugates as suitable urinary biomarkers of PCB3 and other airborne PCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Dhakal
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Andrea Adamcakova-Dodd
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Hans-Joachim Lehmler
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Peter S. Thorne
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Larry W. Robertson
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
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Grimm FA, Lehmler HJ, He X, Robertson LW, Duffel MW. Sulfated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls are high-affinity ligands for the thyroid hormone transport protein transthyretin. Environ Health Perspect 2013; 121:657-62. [PMID: 23584369 PMCID: PMC3672920 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The displacement of l-thyroxine (T4) from binding sites on transthyretin (TTR) is considered a significant contributing mechanism in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-induced thyroid disruption. Previous research has discovered hydroxylated PCB metabolites (OH-PCBs) as high-affinity ligands for TTR, but the binding potential of conjugated PCB metabolites such as PCB sulfates has not been explored. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the binding of five lower-chlorinated PCB sulfates to human TTR and compared their binding characteristics to those determined for their OH-PCB precursors and for T4. METHODS We used fluorescence probe displacement studies and molecular docking simulations to characterize the binding of PCB sulfates to TTR. The stability of PCB sulfates and the reversibility of these interactions were characterized by HPLC analysis of PCB sulfates after their binding to TTR. The ability of OH-PCBs to serve as substrates for human cytosolic sulfotransferase 1A1 (hSULT1A1) was assessed by OH-PCB-dependent formation of adenosine-3',5'-diphosphate, an end product of the sulfation reaction. RESULTS All five PCB sulfates were able to bind to the high-affinity binding site of TTR with equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd values) in the low nanomolar range (4.8-16.8 nM), similar to that observed for T4 (4.7 nM). Docking simulations provided corroborating evidence for these binding interactions and indicated multiple high-affinity modes of binding. All OH-PCB precursors for these sulfates were found to be substrates for hSULT1A1. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that PCB sulfates are high-affinity ligands for human TTR and therefore indicate, for the first time, a potential relevance for these metabolites in PCB-induced thyroid disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian A Grimm
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52246, USA
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Lignell S, Aune M, Darnerud PO, Hanberg A, Larsson SC, Glynn A. Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) may influence birth weight among infants in a Swedish cohort with background exposure: a cross-sectional study. Environ Health 2013; 12:44. [PMID: 23724965 PMCID: PMC3673870 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-12-44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [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: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) has been suggested to negatively affect birth weight although epidemiological evidence is still inconclusive. We investigated if prenatal exposure to PCBs and PBDEs is related to birth weight in a Swedish population with background exposure. METHODS Breast milk was sampled during the third week after delivery from first-time mothers in Uppsala county, Sweden 1996-2010 (POPUP cohort) (N = 413). Samples were analysed for di-ortho PCBs (CB-138, 153, 180) and tetra- to hexa- brominated PBDEs (BDE-47, 99, 100, 153). Simple and multiple linear regression models were used to investigate associations between lipid-adjusted, ln-transformed PCB and PBDE concentrations, and birth weight. Covariates included in the multivariate regression model were PCB and PBDE exposure, maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, education, smoking, gender of the infant and gestational length. The effect of including fish consumption was also investigated. RESULTS In the multivariate model, prenatal exposure to di-ortho PCBs was significantly associated with increased birth weight (β = 137; p = 0.02). The result did not change when gestational length was added to the model. An inverse association between PBDE(4) (sum of BDE-47, -99, -100 and -153) and birth weight was observed in the multivariate model including gestational length (β = -106; p = 0.04). Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy were important confounders of the association between di-ortho PCBs and birth weight. The associations were not alleviated after adjustment for fish consumption, a major source of PCB and PBDE exposure. The observed associations were stronger for boys than for girls. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that prenatal exposure to di-ortho PCBs and PBDE(4) may influence birth weight in different directions, i.e. PCB exposure was associated with higher birth weight and PBDE exposure with lower birth weight. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy were important confounders that may hide positive association between di-ortho PCB exposure and birth weight if they are not included in the statistical model. We speculate that even small PCB- and PBDE-induced shifts in the distribution of birth weight may influence future public health in populations with background exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Lignell
- Risk Benefit Assessment Department, National Food Agency, Box 622, Uppsala SE-751 26, Sweden
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Marie Aune
- Science Department, National Food Agency, Box 622, Uppsala SE-751 26, Sweden
| | - Per Ola Darnerud
- Science Department, National Food Agency, Box 622, Uppsala SE-751 26, Sweden
| | - Annika Hanberg
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Susanna C Larsson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Anders Glynn
- Risk Benefit Assessment Department, National Food Agency, Box 622, Uppsala SE-751 26, Sweden
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Wu H, Bertrand KA, Choi AL, Hu FB, Laden F, Grandjean P, Sun Q. Persistent organic pollutants and type 2 diabetes: a prospective analysis in the nurses' health study and meta-analysis. Environ Health Perspect 2013; 121:153-61. [PMID: 23131992 PMCID: PMC3569682 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prospective data regarding persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are limited, and the results for individual POPs are not entirely consistent across studies. OBJECTIVES We prospectively examined plasma POP concentrations in relation to incident T2D and summarized existing evidence in a meta-analysis. METHODS Plasma polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentrations were measured in 1,095 women who were free of diabetes at blood draw in 1989-1990 and participated in two case-control studies in the Nurses' Health Study. We identified 48 incident T2D cases through 30 June 2008. We conducted a literature search in PubMed and EMBASE through December 2011 to identify prospective studies on POPs in relation to diabetes. We used a fixed-effects model to summarize results. RESULTS After multivariable adjustment, plasma HCB concentration was positively associated with incident T2D [pooled odds ratio (OR) 3.59 (95% CI: 1.49, 8.64, ptrend = 0.003) comparing extreme tertiles]. Other POPs were not significantly associated with diabetes. After pooling our results with those of six published prospective studies that included 842 diabetes cases in total, we found that HCB and total PCBs both were associated with diabetes: the pooled ORs were 2.00 (95% CI: 1.13, 3.53; I2 = 21.4%, pheterogeneity = 0.28) and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.28, 2.27; I2 = 16.3%, pheterogeneity = 0.30) for HCB and total PCBs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings support an association between POP exposure and the risk of T2D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Wu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Tsuji M, Kawamoto T, Koriyama C, Matsumura F. IL-22 mRNA expression in blood samples as a useful biomarker for assessing the adverse health effects of PCBs on allergic children. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2012; 9:4321-32. [PMID: 23330224 PMCID: PMC3546764 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9124321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
To facilitate the assessment of adverse effects of very low concentrations of air pollutants on general populations, we planned to establish a reliable biomarker that is also useful in identifying vulnerable populations. For this purpose we monitored several inflammation markers in blood samples from 2 year old Japanese children (N = 30), and found that those children living close to major highways (<50 m) show higher levels of mRNA expression IL-22 in their blood samples than those living further away (+50 m). This tendency was more pronounced among subjects showing positive IgE against egg and milk. We further examined association between IL-22 mRNA expression and PCB residues and found a number of significant positive correlations between each individual PCB congener and IL-22 expression. To identify the most vulnerable population among those children we selected asthma as a typical allergy-related disease, and could show that there are significant differences in the levels of IL-22 mRNA expression between IgE negative non-asthmatic subject and asthmatic children showing positive IgE reaction toward egg or milk, again. These observations support our main conclusion that IL-22 expression is a sensitive biomarker which is useful in identifying sub-populations of children who are especially vulnerable to air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayumi Tsuji
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyusyu 807-8555, Japan;
| | - Toshihiro Kawamoto
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyusyu 807-8555, Japan;
| | - Chihaya Koriyama
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan;
| | - Fumio Matsumura
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
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Kalinowski T, Halden RU. Can Stress Enhance Phytoremediation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls? Environ Eng Sci 2012; 29:1047-1052. [PMID: 23236249 PMCID: PMC3516413 DOI: 10.1089/ees.2012.0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Phytoremediation-plant-facilitated remediation of polluted soil and groundwater-is a potentially effective treatment technology for the remediation of heavy metals and certain organic compounds. However, contaminant attenuation rates are often not rapid enough to make phytoremediation a viable option when compared with alternative treatment approaches. Different strategies are being employed to enhance the efficacy of phytoremediation, including modification to the plant genome, inoculation of the rhizosphere with specialized and/or engineered bacteria, and treatment of the soil with supplementary chemicals, such as surfactants, chelators, or fertilizers. Despite these efforts, greater breakthroughs are necessary to make phytoremediation a viable technology. Here, we introduce and discuss the concept of integrating controlled environmental stresses as a strategy for enhancing phytoremediation. Plants have a diverse suite of defense mechanisms that are only induced in response to stress. Here, we examine some stress-response mechanisms in plants, focusing on defenses involving physiological changes that alter the soil microenvironment (rhizosphere), and outline how these defense mechanisms can be co-opted to enhance the effectiveness of phytoremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls and other contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Kalinowski
- Corresponding author: Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287. Phone: 480-727-0698; Fax: 480-727-0889. E-mail:
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Persky V, Piorkowski J, Turyk M, Freels S, Chatterton R, Dimos J, Bradlow HL, Chary LK, Burse V, Unterman T, Sepkovic DW, McCann K. Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure, diabetes and endogenous hormones: a cross-sectional study in men previously employed at a capacitor manufacturing plant. Environ Health 2012; 11:57. [PMID: 22931295 PMCID: PMC3476446 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-11-57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 05/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have shown associations of diabetes and endogenous hormones with exposure to a wide variety of organochlorines. We have previously reported positive associations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and inverse associations of selected steroid hormones with diabetes in postmenopausal women previously employed in a capacitor manufacturing plant. METHODS This paper examines associations of PCBs with diabetes and endogenous hormones in 63 men previously employed at the same plant who in 1996 underwent surveys of their exposure and medical history and collection of bloods and urine for measurements of PCBs, lipids, liver function, hematologic markers and endogenous hormones. RESULTS PCB exposure was positively associated with diabetes and age and inversely associated with thyroid stimulating hormone and triiodothyronine-uptake. History of diabetes was significantly related to total PCBs and all PCB functional groupings, but not to quarters worked and job score, after control for potential confounders. None of the exposures were related to insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic men. CONCLUSIONS Associations of PCBs with specific endogenous hormones differ in some respects from previous findings in postmenopausal women employed at the capacitor plant. Results from this study, however, do confirm previous reports relating PCB exposure to diabetes and suggest that these associations are not mediated by measured endogenous hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Persky
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Julie Piorkowski
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Mary Turyk
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Sally Freels
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Robert Chatterton
- Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 710 N. Fairbanks Court, Olson Pavilion 8-408, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - John Dimos
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - H Leon Bradlow
- Department of Research, Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Lin Kaatz Chary
- University of Illinois, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Virlyn Burse
- Battelle Memorial Institute, 2971 Clairmont Road NE, Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, USA
| | - Terry Unterman
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Chicago, 820 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 820 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Daniel W Sepkovic
- Department of Research, Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Kenneth McCann
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health, 525 West Jefferson St, Springfield, IL, 62761, USA
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Consonni D, Sindaco R, Agnello L, Caporaso NE, Landi MT, Pesatori AC, Bertazzi PA. Plasma levels of dioxins, furans, non-ortho- PCBs, and TEQs in the Seveso population 17 years after the accident. Med Lav 2012; 103:259-267. [PMID: 22880488 PMCID: PMC7380539] [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] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Seveso accident (Italy) in 1976 caused the contamination of a large population by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (2,3, 7,8-TCDD). The contaminated territory was divided into three zones: A (very high contamination), B (high contamination), and R (low contamination). We report here the plasma concentrations of seven polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs), 10 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), four non-ortho-polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs (nPCBs), and Toxic Equivalencies (TEQs) in a sample of residents in the most polluted zones A and B and in a reference non-contaminated zone. METHODS From December 1992 to March 1994, 62 individuals were randomly selected from the population living in zone A (No. =7) and B (No. =55). A sample of 59 subjects living in a surrounding non-contaminated area (non-ABR), frequency-matched by gender, age, and smoking history, was used as reference. All subjects were administered a questionnaire surveying demographic, lifestyle, medical history, and accident-related factors. We assayed plasma PCDD, PCDF, and nPCB concentrations by high-resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometric (HRGC/HRMS) analysis, with results reported as pg/g of lipid, or parts per trillion (ppt). We calculated TEQs using the WHO 2005 Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs). RESULTS We found elevated median levels of 2,3, 7,8-TCDD in plasma samples of subjects living in zone A (73.3 ppt) and zone B (12.4 ppt), compared with residents in the reference zone (5.5 ppt). In analyses adjusted for gender, age, smoking, and body mass index (BMI), none of the other congeners showed levels higher than reference in the contaminated zones. Compared with men, women showed higher levels (113%) of 2,3, 7,8-TCDD and a slight elevation (17%) of TEQ for the other congeners. Age was strongly positively associated with most congener levels; TEQs for PCDDs, PCDFs, and nPCBs showed respectively 12%, 24%, and 41% increases for every 10 years of age. Current smokers had lower (from -37% to -67%) TEQ levels than subjects who had never smoked. BMI was negatively associated with levels of a few congeners, but with no impact on TEQ values. CONCLUSIONS The Seveso accident caused a severe exposure of the population to 2,3,7,8-TCDD only. None of the other congeners analyzed showed variation across zones. Age showed a strong positive association with TEQs for all classes of compounds (PCDDs, PCDFs, and nPCBs).
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Affiliation(s)
- D Consonni
- Unit of Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda--Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
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Dutta SK, Mitra PS, Ghosh S, Zang S, Sonneborn D, Hertz-Picciotto I, Trnovec T, Palkovicova L, Sovcikova E, Ghimbovschi S, Hoffman EP. Differential gene expression and a functional analysis of PCB-exposed children: understanding disease and disorder development. Environ Int 2012; 40:143-154. [PMID: 21855147 PMCID: PMC3247643 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2011.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Revised: 04/04/2011] [Accepted: 07/10/2011] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The goal of the present study is to understand the probable molecular mechanism of toxicities and the associated pathways related to observed pathophysiology in high PCB-exposed populations. We have performed a microarray-based differential gene expression analysis of children (mean age 46.1 months) of Central European descent from Slovak Republic in a well-defined study cohort. The subset of children having high blood PCB concentrations (>75 percentile) were compared against their low PCB counterparts (<25 percentile), with mean lipid-adjusted PCB values of 3.02±1.3 and 0.06±0.03 ng/mg of serum lipid, for the two groups, respectively (18.1±4.4 and 0.3±0.1 ng/ml of serum). The microarray was conducted with the total RNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the children using an Affymetrix platform (GeneChip Human genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array) and was analyzed by Gene Spring (GX 10.0). A highly significant set of 162 differentially expressed genes between high and low PCB groups (p value <0.00001) were identified and subsequently analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool. The results indicate that Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction, Cellular Movement, Cell Signaling, Molecular Transport, and Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism were the major molecular and cellular functions associated with the differentially altered gene set in high PCB-exposed children. The differential gene expressions appeared to play a pivotal role in the development of probable diseases and disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, in the PCB-exposed population. The analyses also pointed out possible organ-specific effects, e.g., cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, in high PCB-exposed subjects. A few notable genes, such as BCL2, PON1, and ITGB1, were significantly altered in our study, and the related pathway analysis explained their plausible involvement in the respective disease processes, as mentioned. Our results provided insight into understanding the associated molecular mechanisms of complex gene-environment interactions in a PCB-exposed population. Future endeavors of supervised genotyping of pathway-specific molecular epidemiological studies and population biomarker validations are already underway to reveal individual risk factors in these PCB-exposed populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisir K Dutta
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Partha S Mitra
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Somiranjan Ghosh
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Shizhu Zang
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Dean Sonneborn
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Tomas Trnovec
- Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | | | - Eva Sovcikova
- Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Svetlana Ghimbovschi
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Eric P Hoffman
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
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Korsman JC, Schipper AM, Lenders HJR, Foppen RPB, Hendriks AJ. Modelling the impact of toxic and disturbance stress on white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) populations. Ecotoxicology 2012; 21:27-36. [PMID: 21861166 PMCID: PMC3252495 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-011-0760-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have related breeding success and survival of sea eagles to toxic or non-toxic stress separately. In the present investigation, we analysed single and combined impacts of both toxic and disturbance stress on populations of white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), using an analytical single-species model. Chemical and eco(toxico)logical data reported from laboratory and field studies were used to parameterise and validate the model. The model was applied to assess the impact of ∑PCB, DDE and disturbance stress on the white-tailed eagle population in The Netherlands. Disturbance stress was incorporated through a 1.6% reduction in survival and a 10-50% reduction in reproduction. ∑PCB contamination from 1950 up to 1987 was found to be too high to allow the return of white-tailed eagle as a breeding species in that period. ∑PCB and population trends simulated for 2006-2050 suggest that future population growth is still reduced. Disturbance stress resulted in a reduced population development. The combination of both toxic and disturbance stress varied from a slower population development to a catastrophical reduction in population size, where the main cause was attributed to the reduction in reproduction of 50%. Application of the model was restricted by the current lack of quantitative dose-response relationships between non-toxic stress and survival and reproduction. Nevertheless, the model provides a first step towards integrating and quantifying the impacts of multiple stressors on white-tailed eagle populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C. Korsman
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Aafke M. Schipper
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - H. J. Rob Lenders
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud P. B. Foppen
- SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Toernooiveld 1, 6503 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A. Jan Hendriks
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Godard-Codding CAJ, Clark R, Fossi MC, Marsili L, Maltese S, West AG, Valenzuela L, Rowntree V, Polyak I, Cannon JC, Pinkerton K, Rubio-Cisneros N, Mesnick SL, Cox SB, Kerr I, Payne R, Stegeman JJ. Pacific Ocean-wide profile of CYP1A1 expression, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, and organic contaminant burden in sperm whale skin biopsies. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119:337-343. [PMID: 21134820 PMCID: PMC3059996 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.0901809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ocean pollution affects marine organisms and ecosystems as well as humans. The International Oceanographic Commission recommends ocean health monitoring programs to investigate the presence of marine contaminants and the health of threatened species and the use of multiple and early-warning biomarker approaches. OBJECTIVE We explored the hypothesis that biomarker and contaminant analyses in skin biopsies of the threatened sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) could reveal geographical trends in exposure on an oceanwide scale. METHODS We analyzed cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) expression (by immunohistochemistry), stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios (as general indicators of trophic position and latitude, respectively), and contaminant burdens in skin biopsies to explore regional trends in the Pacific Ocean. RESULTS Biomarker analyses revealed significant regional differences within the Pacific Ocean. CYP1A1 expression was highest in whales from the Galapagos, a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage marine reserve, and was lowest in the sampling sites farthest away from continents. We examined the possible influence of the whales' sex, diet, or range and other parameters on regional variation in CYP1A1 expression, but data were inconclusive. In general, CYP1A1 expression was not significantly correlated with contaminant burdens in blubber. However, small sample sizes precluded detailed chemical analyses, and power to detect significant associations was limited. CONCLUSIONS Our large-scale monitoring study was successful at identifying regional differences in CYP1A1 expression, providing a baseline for this known biomarker of exposure to aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists. However, we could not identify factors that explained this variation. Future oceanwide CYP1A1 expression profiles in cetacean skin biopsies are warranted and could reveal whether globally distributed chemicals occur at biochemically relevant concentrations on a global basis, which may provide a measure of ocean integrity.
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Kim MJ, Marchand P, Henegar C, Antignac JP, Alili R, Poitou C, Bouillot JL, Basdevant A, Le Bizec B, Barouki R, Clément K. Fate and complex pathogenic effects of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in obese subjects before and after drastic weight loss. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119:377-83. [PMID: 21156398 PMCID: PMC3060002 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1002848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2010] [Accepted: 12/03/2010] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In humans, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are stored primarily in adipose tissue. Their total body burden and their contribution to obesity-associated diseases remain unclear. OBJECTIVES We characterized POP total body burden and their redistribution in obese individuals before and after drastic weight loss and compared these values with a variety of molecular, biological, and clinical parameters. METHODS Seventy-one obese subjects were enrolled and underwent bariatric surgery. Blood and adipose tissue samples were obtained at different times from these individuals as well as from 18 lean women. RESULTS POP content (17 dioxins/furans and 18 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners) in different adipose tissue territories was similar, allowing us to assess total POP body burden from a single biopsy. Total POP body burden was 2 to 3 times higher in obese than in lean individuals. We also found increased expression of some POP target genes in obese adipose tissue. Drastic weight loss led to increased serum POPs and, within 6-12 months, to a significant 15% decrease in total polychlorinated biphenyl body burden. Importantly, serum POP levels were positively correlated with liver toxicity markers and lipid parameters, independently of age and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS POP content in adipose tissue and serum correlate with biological markers of obesity-related dysfunctions. Drastic weight loss leads to a redistribution of POPs and to a moderate decrease of their total body burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Ji Kim
- INSERM, UMR-S 747, Université Paris Descartes, Centre Universitaire des Saints-Pères, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Marchand
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de l’Alimentation Nantes Atlantique (ONIRIS), Laboratoire d’Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), INRA USC 2013, Nantes, France
| | - Corneliu Henegar
- INSERM, U872, Nutriomique team 7, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 872, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine-Ile de France, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Antignac
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de l’Alimentation Nantes Atlantique (ONIRIS), Laboratoire d’Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), INRA USC 2013, Nantes, France
| | - Rohia Alili
- INSERM, U872, Nutriomique team 7, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 872, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine-Ile de France, Paris, France
| | - Christine Poitou
- INSERM, U872, Nutriomique team 7, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 872, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine-Ile de France, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Bouillot
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Surgery Department, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Basdevant
- INSERM, U872, Nutriomique team 7, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 872, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine-Ile de France, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Le Bizec
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de l’Alimentation Nantes Atlantique (ONIRIS), Laboratoire d’Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), INRA USC 2013, Nantes, France
| | - Robert Barouki
- INSERM, UMR-S 747, Université Paris Descartes, Centre Universitaire des Saints-Pères, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- Address correspondence to R. Barouki, Université Paris Descartes, Centre Universitaire des Saints-Pères, 45 rue des Saints Pères, 75270 Paris cedex 06, France. Telephone: 33-001-42-86-20-75. Fax: 33-1-42-86-38-68. E-mail:
| | - Karine Clément
- INSERM, U872, Nutriomique team 7, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 872, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Nutrition and Endocrinology Department, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine-Ile de France, Paris, France
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Liu Y, Lehmler HJ, Robertson LW, Duffel MW. Physicochemical properties of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls aid in predicting their interactions with rat sulfotransferase 1A1 (rSULT1A1). Chem Biol Interact 2011; 189:153-60. [PMID: 21130751 PMCID: PMC3032042 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2010.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Revised: 11/24/2010] [Accepted: 11/25/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Hydroxylated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls (OHPCBs) interact with rat sulfotransferase 1A1 (rSULT1A1) as substrates and inhibitors. Previous studies have shown that there are complex and incompletely understood structure-activity relationships governing the interaction of rSULT1A1 with these molecules. Furthermore, modification of the enzyme with glutathione disulfide (GSSG) results in the conversion of some OHPCBs from inhibitors to substrates. We have now examined estimated values for the acid-dissociation constant (K(a)) and the octanol-water distribution coefficient (D), as well as experimentally determined dissociation constants for enzyme complexes, to assist in the prediction of interactions of OHPCBs with rSULT1A1. Under reducing conditions, initial velocities for rSULT1A1-catalyzed sulfation exhibited a positive correlation with pK(a) and a negative correlation with logD of the OHPCBs. IC(50) values of inhibitory OHPCBs decreased with decreasing pK(a) values for both the glutathione (GSH)-pretreated and GSSG-pretreated forms of rSULT1A1. Comparison of GSH- and GSSG-pretreated forms of rSULT1A1 with respect to binding of OHPCB in the presence and absence of adenosine 3',5'-diphosphate (PAP) revealed that the dissociation constants with the two redox states of the enzyme were similar for each OHPCB. Thus, pK(a) and logD values are useful in predicting the binding of OHPCBs to the two redox forms of rSULT1A1 as well as the rates of sulfation of those OHPCBs that are substrates. However, the differences in substrate specificity for OHPCBs that are seen with changes in redox status of the enzyme are not directly related to specific structural effects of individual OHPCBs within inhibitory enzyme-PAP-OHPCB complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yungang Liu
- Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry, College of Pharmacy University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guandong, China 510515
| | - Hans-Joachim Lehmler
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Larry W. Robertson
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Michael W. Duffel
- Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry, College of Pharmacy University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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22
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Ritter R, Scheringer M, MacLeod M, Moeckel C, Jones KC, Hungerbühler K. Intrinsic human elimination half-lives of polychlorinated biphenyls derived from the temporal evolution of cross-sectional biomonitoring data from the United Kingdom. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119:225-31. [PMID: 20934951 PMCID: PMC3040610 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1002211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2010] [Accepted: 10/07/2010] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most empirical estimates of human elimination kinetics for persistent chemicals reflect apparent elimination half-lives that represent the aggregated effect of intrinsic elimination, ongoing exposure, and changes in body weight. However, estimates of intrinsic elimination at background levels are required for risk assessments for the general population. OBJECTIVE To estimate intrinsic human elimination half-lives at background levels for nine polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, we used a novel approach based on population data. METHODS We used a population pharmacokinetic model to interpret two sets of congener-specific cross-sectional age-concentration biomonitoring data of PCB concentrations measured in lipid and blood samples that were collected from 229 individuals in 1990 and 2003. Our method is novel because it exploits information about changes in concentration in the human population along two dimensions: age and calendar time. RESULTS Our approach extracted information about both elimination kinetics and exposure trends from biomonitoring data. The longest intrinsic human elimination half-lives estimated in this study are 15.5 years for PCB-170, 14.4 years for PCB-153, and 11.5 years for PCB-180. CONCLUSIONS Our results are further evidence that a maximum intrinsic elimination half-life for persistent chemicals such as PCBs exists and is approximately 10-15 years. A clear conceptual distinction between apparent and intrinsic half-lives is required to reduce the uncertainty in elimination half-lives of persistent chemicals. The method presented here estimates intrinsic elimination half-lives and the exposure trends of persistent pollutants using cross-sectional data available from a large and growing number of biomonitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Ritter
- Safety and Environmental Technology Group, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Safety and Environmental Technology Group, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Address correspondence to M. Scheringer, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland. Telephone: 41-44-6323062. Fax: 41-44-6321189. E-mail:
| | - Matthew MacLeod
- Safety and Environmental Technology Group, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Moeckel
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin C. Jones
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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Norström K, Czub G, McLachlan MS, Hu D, Thorne PS, Hornbuckle KC. External exposure and bioaccumulation of PCBs in humans living in a contaminated urban environment. Environ Int 2010; 36:855-61. [PMID: 19394084 PMCID: PMC2891214 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2009.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2008] [Revised: 03/04/2009] [Accepted: 03/15/2009] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to different mixtures of PCBs depending on the route of exposure. In this study we investigated the potential contribution of inhalation to the overall human exposure to PCBs in an urban area. For this purpose, the mechanistically based, non-steady state bioaccumulation model ACC-HUMAN was applied to predict the PCB body burden in an adult living in the Midwestern United States who eats a typical North American diet and inhales air contaminated with PCBs. Dietary exposure was estimated using measured data for eighteen PCB congeners in different food groups (fish, meat and egg, dairy products). Two scenarios for inhalation exposure were evaluated: one using air concentrations measured in Chicago, and a second using air measurements in a remote area on Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes. The model predicted that exposure via inhalation increases the accumulated mass of PCBs in the body by up to 30% for lower chlorinated congeners, while diet is by far the dominant source of exposure for those PCB congeners that accumulate most in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Norström
- Dept of Applied Environmental Science ITM, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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24
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Jensen BA, Reddy CM, Nelson RK, Hahn ME. Developing tools for risk assessment in protected species: Relative potencies inferred from competitive binding of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons to aryl hydrocarbon receptors from beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and mouse. Aquat Toxicol 2010; 100:238-245. [PMID: 20728228 PMCID: PMC3175004 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2010.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2010] [Revised: 07/09/2010] [Accepted: 07/17/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants such as halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) biomagnify in food webs and accumulate to high concentrations in top predators like odontocete cetaceans (toothed whales). The most toxic HAHs are the 2,3,7,8-substituted halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans, and non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which exert their effects via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Understanding the impact of HAHs in wildlife is limited by the lack of taxon-specific information about the relative potencies of toxicologically important congeners. To assess whether Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) determined in rodents are predictive of HAH relative potencies in a cetacean, we used beluga and mouse AHRs expressed in vitro from cloned cDNAs to measure the relative AHR-binding affinities of ten HAHs from five different structural classes. The rank order of mean IC(50)s for competitive binding to beluga AHR was: TCDD<TCDF<PCB-126<PCB-169<PCB-77<PCB-81⋘PCB-156∼PCB-128<PCB-105<PCB-118. The rank order of mean IC(50)s for binding to the mouse AHR was TCDD<TCDF<PCB-126<PCB-169<PCB-81<PCB-77<PCB-156≪PCB-128∼PCB-105∼PCB-118. K(i) values for binding of HAHs to beluga and mouse AHRs were highly correlated (r(2)=0.96). Comparison of K(i) values suggested that the beluga AHR had a higher affinity than the mouse AHR for most of the HAHs tested, consistent with the ∼2-fold higher [(3)H]TCDD binding affinity determined previously. These results are consistent with the World Health Organization mammalian TEFs for non- and mono-ortho PCB congeners. The comparatively high HAH binding affinities of the beluga AHR relative to those of an AHR from a dioxin-responsive mouse suggests that beluga, and perhaps cetaceans in general, may be particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of AHR agonists. Further study is warranted in order to more fully address this important question affecting protected and endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda A Jensen
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
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25
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Carmichael SL, Herring AH, Sjödin A, Jones R, Needham L, Ma C, Ding K, Shaw GM. Hypospadias and halogenated organic pollutant levels in maternal mid-pregnancy serum samples. Chemosphere 2010; 80:641-6. [PMID: 20494400 PMCID: PMC2944405 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.04.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2010] [Revised: 03/17/2010] [Accepted: 04/22/2010] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental contaminants that disrupt endocrine function may contribute to hypospadias etiology. OBJECTIVE To compare levels of selected halogenated organic pollutants in women delivering infants with and without hypospadias. METHODS This study examined levels of nine polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs), 30 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and nine persistent pesticides in mid-pregnancy serum samples from 20 women who delivered infants with hypospadias and 28 women who delivered unaffected infants, in California. Analytes were measured using isotope dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry. Values below individual limits of detection (LOD) for each analyte were imputed based on a truncated multivariate normal distribution. Levels of 17 analytes for which at least 50% of cases and controls had values above the LOD were compared using t-tests and by generating odds ratios from logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Means were greater for cases than controls for 11 of the 17 reported analytes (4 of 5 PBDEs, 7 of 9 PCBs, and 0 of 3 other persistent pesticides), but none of the differences were statistically significant. Eleven of the 17 odds ratios exceeded one (the same analytes that had greater means), but none of the confidence intervals excluded one. After adjustment for sample processing time and foreign-born Hispanic race-ethnicity, only four of the odds ratios exceeded one. CONCLUSIONS Levels of the PBDEs and PCBs were not statistically significantly different, but the sample size was small. The current study adds to a relatively limited knowledge base regarding the potential association of specific contaminants with hypospadias or other birth defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzan L Carmichael
- California Research Division, March of Dimes Foundation, Oakland, CA 94609, USA.
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26
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Tiedeken JA, Ramsdell JS. Zebrafish seizure model identifies p,p -DDE as the dominant contaminant of fetal California sea lions that accounts for synergistic activity with domoic acid. Environ Health Perspect 2010; 118:545-51. [PMID: 20368122 PMCID: PMC2854733 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.0901301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2009] [Accepted: 12/04/2009] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal poisoning of California sea lions (CSLs; Zalophus californianus) has been associated with exposure to the algal toxin domoic acid. These same sea lions accumulate a mixture of persistent environmental contaminants including pesticides and industrial products such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Developmental exposure to the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its stable metabolite 1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethene (p,p -DDE) has been shown to enhance domoic acid-induced seizures in zebrafish; however, the contribution of other co-occurring contaminants is unknown. OBJECTIVE We formulated a mixture of contaminants to include PCBs, PBDEs, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and chlordane at levels matching those reported for fetal CSL blubber to determine the impact of co-occurring persistent contaminants with p,p -DDE on chemically induced seizures in zebrafish as a model for the CSLs. METHODS Embryos were exposed (6-30 hr postfertilization) to p,p -DDE in the presence or absence of a defined contaminant mixture prior to neurodevelopment via either bath exposure or embryo yolk sac microinjection. After brain maturation (7 days postfertilization), fish were exposed to a chemical convulsant, either pentylenetetrazole or domoic acid; resulting seizure behavior was then monitored and analyzed for changes, using cameras and behavioral tracking software. RESULTS Induced seizure behavior did not differ significantly between subjects with embryonic exposure to a contaminant mixture and those exposed to p,p -DDE only. CONCLUSION These studies demonstrate that p,p -DDE--in the absence of PCBs, HCH, chlordane, and PBDEs that co-occur in fetal sea lions--accounts for the synergistic activity that leads to greater sensitivity to domoic acid seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Tiedeken
- Marine Biotoxins Program, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Charleston, South Carolina 29412, USA.
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27
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Wilson JY, Moore MJ, Stegeman JJ. Catalytic and immunochemical detection of hepatic and extrahepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) in white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus). Aquat Toxicol 2010; 96:216-224. [PMID: 20005581 PMCID: PMC2815115 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2009] [Revised: 10/22/2009] [Accepted: 10/28/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We have characterized microsomal systems and measured the levels of microsomal cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in multiple internal organs of male and female white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) from the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Internal organs were sampled within 24h of death, sometimes in a period of hours, collection times which are significantly less than usually seen for marine mammals. Tissue autolysis, as assessed by histological analysis of liver, was minimal to none in all individuals. Total P420 did not correlate with time from death to sampling, suggesting that it is a poor indicator of P450 degradation in cetacean tissues where perfusion is not practical. The total hepatic microsomal P450 content, cytochrome b5 content, and NADPH-cytochrome c (P450) reductase (CPR) activity averaged 0.29nmolmg(-1), 0.12nmolmg(-1), and 238nmolmg(-1)min(-1), respectively. Microsomal CPR activity in liver was higher than that in lung and kidney, and was higher than that reported in liver of most other cetacean species. Immunodetected CYP1A1 content was low in all organs, less than 3pmolesCYP1A equivalentsmg(-1). EROD activity ranged from 9 to 376pmolesmg(-1)min(-1) and was greater in liver than in other tissues. Hepatic microsomal EROD activity and CYP1A1 content did not correlate. However, hepatic EROD activity, but not CYP1A1 protein content, was well correlated with both total PCB and Sigmamono-ortho PCB concentrations in blubber. Length, as a proxy for age, did not correlate with hepatic EROD activity or CYP1A1 protein levels, and sex did not influence the relationship between EROD and contaminant concentrations. We cannot easily control for the extent of tissue degradation in cetacean studies nor do we have a complete history of these animals. Therefore, other factors such as degradation or hormonal state may have a role in the observed relationships. Yet, as in other mammals, hepatic tissues appear to be a major site of CYP1A1 expression and probably of biotransformation of CYP1A substrates in white-sided dolphin. The expression of an EROD catalyst in liver likely reflects induction by PCBs, but the P450 enzyme catalyzing hepatic EROD activity in these whales may not be CYP1A1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Y Wilson
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA 02543, USA.
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28
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Smuleac V, Bachas L, Bhattacharyya D. Aqueous - Phase Synthesis of PAA in PVDF Membrane Pores for Nanoparticle Synthesis and Dichlorobiphenyl Degradation. J Memb Sci 2010; 346:310-317. [PMID: 20161475 PMCID: PMC2794051 DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2009.09.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper deals with bimetallic (Fe/Pd) nanoparticle synthesis inside the membrane pores and application for catalytic dechlorination of toxic organic compounds form aqueous streams. Membranes have been used as platforms for nanoparticle synthesis in order to reduce the agglomeration, encountered in solution phase synthesis which leads to a dramatic loss of reactivity. The membrane support, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was modified by in situ polymerization of acrylic acid in aqueous phase. Subsequent steps included ion exchange with Fe(2+), reduction to Fe(0) with sodium borohydride and Pd deposition. Various techniques, such as STEM, EDX, FTIR and permeability measurements, were used for membrane characterization and showed that bimetallic (Fe/Pd) nanoparticles with an average size of 20-30 nm have been incorporated inside of the PAA-coated membrane pores. The Fe/Pd-modified membranes showed a high reactivity toward a model compound, 2, 2'-dichlorobyphenyl and a strong dependence of degradation on Pd (hydrogenation catalyst) content. The use of convective flow substantially reduces the degradation time: 43% conversion of dichlorobiphenyl to biphenyl can be achieved in less than 40 s residence time. Another important aspect is the ability to regenerate and reuse the Fe/Pd bimetallic systems by washing with a solution of sodium borohydride, because the iron becomes inactivated (corroded) as the dechlorination reaction proceeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Smuleac
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
| | - L. Bachas
- Department of Chemistry University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
| | - D. Bhattacharyya
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
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29
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Zanette J, Jenny MJ, Goldstone JV, Woodin BR, Watka LA, Bainy ACD, Stegeman JJ. New cytochrome P450 1B1, 1C2 and 1D1 genes in the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus: Basal expression and response of five killifish CYP1s to the AHR agonist PCB126. Aquat Toxicol 2009; 93:234-43. [PMID: 19515436 PMCID: PMC2761021 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2009] [Revised: 04/30/2009] [Accepted: 05/10/2009] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of the complement of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes is essential to understanding detoxification and bioactivation mechanisms for organic contaminants. We cloned three new CYP1 genes, CYP1B1, CYP1C2 and CYP1D1, from the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus, an important model in environmental toxicology. Expression of the new CYP1s along with previously known CYP1A and CYP1C1 was measured by qPCR in eight different organs. Organ distribution was similar for the two CYP1Cs, but otherwise patterns and extent of expression differed among the genes. The AHR agonist 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) (31 pmol/g fish) induced expression of CYP1A and CYP1B1 in all organs examined, while CYP1C1 was induced in all organs except testis. The largest changes in response to PCB126 were induction of CYP1A in testis (approximately 700-fold) and induction of CYP1C1 in liver (approximately 500-fold). CYP1B1 in liver and gut, CYP1A in brain and CYP1C1 in gill also were induced strongly by PCB126 (> 100-fold). CYP1C1 expression levels were higher than CYP1C2 in almost all tissues and CYP1C2 was much less responsive to PCB126. In contrast to the other genes, CYP1D1 was not induced by PCB126 in any of the organs. The organ-specific response of CYP1s to PCB126 implies differential involvement in effects of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons in different organs. The suite of inducible CYP1s could enhance the use of F. heteroclitus in assessing aquatic contamination by AHR agonists. Determining basal and induced levels of protein and the substrate specificity for all five CYP1s will be necessary to better understand their roles in chemical effects and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Zanette
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
- Biochemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, SC, Brazil
| | - Matthew J. Jenny
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
| | - Jared V. Goldstone
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
| | - Bruce R. Woodin
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
| | - Lauren A. Watka
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth MA
| | - Afonso C. D. Bainy
- Biochemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, SC, Brazil
| | - John J. Stegeman
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
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Abstract
Membrane-based separation processes have been used extensively for drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, and numerous other applications. More recent developments in membrane functionalization have made the use of membrane science important in diverse fields, from tunable separations to catalysis. The focus of this work is to create a common membrane platform for the incorporation of technologies capable of degrading target pollutants. Functionalized membranes capable of metal capture were created using water-based and solvent-based acrylic acid polymerization to synthesize poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) within poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane pores. The COO(-) groups of PAA were used to capture Fe(II), which was then either reduced and doped with Pd to form Fe/Pd nanoparticles or used as-is for free radical generation with hydrogen peroxide. Fe/Pd nanoparticles were synthesized within the pores of a PAA/PVDF membrane functionalized via aqueous (green) chemistry and used to dechlorinate trichloroethylene (TCE) and 2,2'-dichlorobiphenyl (DiCB). A PAA/PVDF membrane containing immobilized Fe(III) was used to obtain controlled free radical generation and target organic (pentachlorophenol) degradation within the membrane pore under convective flow conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Lewis
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Vasile Smuleac
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Alex Montague
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Leonidas Bachas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Dibakar Bhattacharyya
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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31
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DasBanerjee T, Middleton FA, Berger DF, Lombardo JP, Sagvolden T, Faraone SV. A comparison of molecular alterations in environmental and genetic rat models of ADHD: a pilot study. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2008; 147B:1554-63. [PMID: 18937310 PMCID: PMC2587509 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder in school-aged children. In addition to genetic factors, environmental influences or gene x environmental interactions also play an important role in ADHD. One example of a well studied environmental risk factor for ADHD is exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, we investigated whether the well-established genetic model of ADHD based on the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and a well established PCB-based model of ADHD exhibited similar molecular changes in brain circuits involved in ADHD. The brains from 28 male rats (8 SHR, 8 Sprague-Dawley (SD) controls, 8 Wistar/Kyoto (WKY) controls, and 4 PCB-exposed SD rats) were harvested at postnatal days (PNDs) 55-65 and RNA was isolated from six brain regions of interest. The RNA was analyzed for differences in expression of a set of 308 probe sets interrogating 218 unique genes considered highly relevant to ADHD or epigenetic gene regulation using the Rat RAE230 2.0 GeneChip (Affymetrix). Selected observations were confirmed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The results show that the expression levels of genes Gnal, COMT, Adrbk1, Ntrk2, Hk1, Syt11, and Csnk1a1 were altered in both the SHR rats and the PCB-exposed SD rats. Arrb2, Stx12, Aqp6, Syt1, Ddc, and Pgk1 expression levels were changed only in the PCB-exposed SD rats. Genes with altered expression only in the SHRs included Oprm1, Calcyon, Calmodulin, Lhx1, and Hes6. The epigenetic genes Crebbp, Mecp2, and Hdac5 are significantly altered in both models. The data provide strong evidence that genes and environment can affect different set of genes in two different models of ADHD and yet result in the similar disease-like symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania DasBanerjee
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Frank A. Middleton
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA, Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA
| | - David F. Berger
- Department of Psychology, SUNY College at Cortland, Cortland, NY 13045, USA
| | - John P. Lombardo
- Department of Psychology, SUNY College at Cortland, Cortland, NY 13045, USA
| | - Terje Sagvolden
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stephen V. Faraone
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA, Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA
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32
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Wolff MS, Britton JA, Boguski L, Hochman S, Maloney N, Serra N, Liu Z, Berkowitz G, Larson S, Forman J. Environmental exposures and puberty in inner-city girls. Environ Res 2008; 107:393-400. [PMID: 18479682 PMCID: PMC3974622 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2008.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2007] [Revised: 03/13/2008] [Accepted: 03/25/2008] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hormonally active environmental exposures are suspected to alter onset of puberty in girls, but research on this question has been very limited. OBJECTIVE We investigated pubertal status in relation to hormonally active environmental exposures among a multiethnic group of 192 healthy 9-year-old girls residing in New York City. METHODS Information was collected on breast and pubic hair stages, weight and height. Phytoestrogen intake was estimated from a food-frequency questionnaire. Three phytoestrogens and bis-phenolA (BPA) were measured in urine. In a subset, 1,1'-dichloro-2,2'-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in blood plasma and lead (Pb) in blood. Associations of exposures with pubertal stages (present=stage 2+ vs absent=stage 1) were examined using t-tests and Poisson multivariate regression to derive prevalence ratios (PR, 95%-confidence limits [CI]). RESULTS Breast development was present in 53% of girls. DDE, Pb, and dietary intakes of phytoestrogens were not significantly associated with breast stage. Urinary phytoestrogen biomarker concentrations were lower among girls with breast development compared with no development. In multivariate models, main effects were strongest for two urinary isoflavones, daidzein (PR 0.89 [0.83-0.96] per ln microg/g creatinine) and genistein (0.94 [0.88-1.01]). Body mass index (BMI) is a hormonally relevant, strong risk factor for breast development. Therefore, BMI-modification of exposure effects was examined, and associations became stronger. Delayed breast development was observed among girls with below-median BMI and third tertile (high exposure) of urinary daidzein (PR 0.46 [0.26-0.78]); a similar effect was seen with genistein, comparing to girls >or= median BMI and lowest two tertiles (combined) of these isoflavones. With urinary enterolactone a phytoestrogen effect was seen only among girls with high BMI, where breast development was delayed among those with high urinary enterolactone (PR 0.55 [0.32-0.96] for the upper tertile vs lower two combined). There was no main effect of PCBs on breast stage, but girls with below-median BMI and >or= median PCB levels had reduced risk for breast development (any vs none) compared with other BMI-PCB groups. No biomarkers were associated with hair development, which was present in 31% of girls. CONCLUSIONS Phytoestrogens and PCBs are environmental exposures that may delay breast development, especially in conjunction with BMI, which governs the endogenous hormonal milieu. Further research to confirm these findings may improve our understanding of the role of early life development in breast cancer risk and other chronic diseases related to obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary S Wolff
- Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1057, 1 Gustav L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Jacobus J, Flor S, Klingelhutz A, Robertson L, Ludewig G. 2-(4'-CHLOROPHENYL)-1,4-BENZOQUINONE INCREASES THE FREQUENCY OF MICRONUCLEI AND SHORTENS TELOMERES. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2008; 25:267-272. [PMID: 18438462 PMCID: PMC2346440 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2007.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been attributed widely to receptor-mediated effects, buttressed by the popularity of the Toxic Equivalency Factor. We propose that a crucial toxic mechanism of lower-chlorinated PCBs is their enzymatic biotransformation to electrophiles, including quinoid metabolites, that bind intracellular sulfhydryl groups, such as those found in microtubulin and enzymes like telomerase. To test this hypothesis, we have examined micronuclei induction, cell cycle, and telomere shortening in cells in culture. Our findings show a large increase in micronuclei frequency and cell cycle perturbation in V79 cells, and a marked decrease in telomere length in HaCaT cells exposed to 2-(4'-chlorophenyl)-1,4-benzoquinone (PCB3pQ).
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Affiliation(s)
- J.A. Jacobus
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus # 124 IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, University of Iowa
| | - S. Flor
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus # 124 IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000
| | | | - L.W. Robertson
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus # 124 IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, University of Iowa
| | - G. Ludewig
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus # 124 IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, University of Iowa
- Address all correspondence to: Dr. Gabriele Ludewig, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 100 Oakdale Campus, #234 IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, Phone: 319/335-4650, Fax: 319/335-4290, e-mail:
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Givens ML, Small CM, Terrell ML, Cameron LL, Blanck HM, Tolbert PE, Rubin C, Henderson AK, Marcus M. Maternal exposure to polybrominated and polychlorinated biphenyls: infant birth weight and gestational age. Chemosphere 2007; 69:1295-304. [PMID: 17617441 PMCID: PMC2075473 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2006] [Revised: 05/08/2007] [Accepted: 05/14/2007] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the influence of maternal exposures on gestational age and birth weight is essential given that pre-term and/or low birth weight infants are at risk for increased mortality and morbidity. We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) through accidental contamination of cattle feed and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) through residual contamination in the geographic region. Our study population consisted of 444 mothers and their 899 infants born between 1975 and 1997. Using restricted maximum likelihood estimation, no significant association was found between estimated maternal serum PBB at conception or enrollment PCB levels and gestational age or infant birth weight in unadjusted models or in models that adjusted for maternal age, smoking, parity, infant gender, and decade of birth. For enrollment maternal serum PBB, no association was observed for gestational age. However, a negative association with high levels of enrollment maternal serum PBB and birth weight was suggested. We also examined the birth weight and gestational age among offspring of women with the highest (10%) PBB or PCB exposure, and observed no significant association. Because brominated compounds are currently used in consumer products and therefore, are increasingly prevalent in the environment, additional research is needed to better understand the potential relationship between in utero exposure to brominated compounds and adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjory L. Givens
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chanley M. Small
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Metrecia L. Terrell
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lorraine L. Cameron
- Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology Division, Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Heidi Michels Blanck
- Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, NCCDPHP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Paige E. Tolbert
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Carol Rubin
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alden K. Henderson
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michele Marcus
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Linderholm L, Park JS, Kocan A, Trnovec T, Athanasiadou M, Bergman K, Hertz-Picciotto I. Maternal and cord serum exposure to PCB and DDE methyl sulfone metabolites in eastern Slovakia. Chemosphere 2007; 69:403-10. [PMID: 17574648 PMCID: PMC2691948 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.04.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2006] [Revised: 04/24/2007] [Accepted: 04/26/2007] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially produced between 1959 and 1984 in eastern Slovakia. Improper handling led to a highly contaminated local environment and high levels of PCBs in humans and wildlife in the Michalovce area. The aim of this study was to analyse serum for methylsulfonyl metabolites of PCB (MeSO(2)-PCBs) and DDE (3-MeSO(2)-DDE) in serum samples from pregnant women and in a selected number of paired cord blood samples to assess maternal sulfone levels and patterns, and transplacental transfer of these metabolites. The donating women were from two districts in eastern Slovakia. A liquid-liquid extraction method together with separation of substance groups and further clean-up on silica gel columns were applied prior to analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 3-MeSO(2)-DDE was the major methyl sulfone in most of the samples followed by a yet not identified MeSO(2)-hexaCB, 4'-MeSO(2)-CB101, 4'-MeSO(2)-CB87 and 4-MeSO(2)-CB149. The women from the contaminated area had three times higher concentrations of the MeSO(2)-PCBs than women from the reference area. This is the first report on methyl sulfone metabolites of PCB and DDE in human cord serum. It is shown that these metabolites are transported through the placenta. The levels of MeSO(2)-PCBs in the maternal serum were about 1.5 times higher than in the corresponding cord serum on a lipid weight basis. For 3-MeSO(2)-DDE, the levels were about the same in maternal and cord serum. The difference in the maternal:cord ratio, comparing MeSO(2)-PCBs with 3-MeSO(2)-DDE might be due to differences in transport through the placenta caused by their different affinities for lipoproteins and plasma proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Linderholm
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Turyk ME, Anderson HA, Persky VW. Relationships of thyroid hormones with polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, furans, and DDE in adults. Environ Health Perspect 2007; 115:1197-203. [PMID: 17687447 PMCID: PMC1940071 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.10179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2007] [Accepted: 05/30/2007] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thyroid hormone homeostasis can be disrupted by exposure to ubiquitous and bioaccumulative organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs). Whereas investigations of health effects have generally focused on human populations with relatively high exposures through occupation, accident, or high fish consumption, general population exposures may also carry risk. METHODS We studied associations of total thyroxine (T(4)) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) with PCBs, dioxin-like toxic equivalents (TEQs), and p,p'-diphenyldichloroethene (DDE) in adult participants without thyroid disease who participated in the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional survey examining a random sample representative of the U.S. population. RESULTS We found inverse associations of total T(4) with exposure to TEQs in both sexes, with stronger associations in females. In women, mean T(4) was 8.2 microg/dL, and levels were on average 0.75 microg/dL lower (95% confidence interval, 0.04-1.46) in women in the highest quintile of TEQ exposure compared with the lowest two quintiles. Effects were stronger in people > 60 years of age, with negative associations of T(4) with PCBs and TEQs, and positive associations of TSH with PCBs and TEQs in older women, and a negative association of TSH with PCBs in older men. CONCLUSIONS The data show a dose-dependent decrease in total T(4) with exposure to TEQs at levels similar to those found in the general U.S. population. The effects were stronger in women. The results suggest that older adults, who have a high risk of thyroid disease, may be more at risk for disruption of thyroid hormone homeostasis by dioxin-like organochlorines than younger adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Turyk
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
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Meeker JD, Altshul L, Hauser R. Serum PCBs, p,p'-DDE and HCB predict thyroid hormone levels in men. Environ Res 2007; 104:296-304. [PMID: 17189629 PMCID: PMC2014786 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2006.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2006] [Revised: 10/12/2006] [Accepted: 11/14/2006] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some organochlorine pesticides, which continue to be measurable in a high proportion of blood samples from the general population, have been found to alter thyroid hormone levels in animals and humans. However, studies of these relationships in adult men are limited and results across studies have been inconsistent. In the present study, we measured serum levels of 57 PCB congeners, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p(')-DDE, a stable metabolite of DDT), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), as well as free T(4), total T(3), and TSH, in 341 adult men recruited from an infertility clinic from 2000 to 2003. In multivariate linear regression, there were positive associations between p,p(')-DDE and both free T(4) and total T(3), and an inverse association between p,p(')-DDE and TSH. Conversely, for PCBs there was only a suggestive inverse association between PCB 153 and total T(3) when potential confounding variables were considered. However, when results were additionally adjusted for p,p(')-DDE, inverse associations with T(3) were significant for PCB 138, PCB 153, sum of PCBs and three different PCB groupings, and HCB, while the positive associations between p,p(')-DDE and T(3) also remained. In conclusion, serum concentrations of PCBs, p,p(')-DDE, and HCB were associated with circulating thyroid hormone levels in adult men. ABBREVIATIONS BMI, body mass index; CYP, cytochrome P450; DDT, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane; HCB, hexachlorobenzene; MDL, method detection limit; NHANES, national health and nutrition examination survey: p,p(')-DDE, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene; PCB, polychlorinated biphenyl; T(3), triiodothyronine; T(4), thryoxine; TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone (thyrotrophin); US, United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, M6226 SPH II, 109 S. Observatory St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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Steinberg RM, Juenger TE, Gore AC. The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female paced mating reproductive behaviors in rats. Horm Behav 2007; 51:364-72. [PMID: 17274994 PMCID: PMC2692581 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2006] [Revised: 12/03/2006] [Accepted: 12/04/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of toxicants that persist in measurable quantities in human and wildlife tissues, despite their ban in production in 1977. Some PCB mixtures can act as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) by mimicking or antagonizing the actions of hormones in the brain and periphery. When exposure to hormonally active substances such as PCBs occurs during vulnerable developmental periods, particularly prenatally or in early postnatal life, they can disrupt sex-specific patterning of the brain, inducing permanent changes that can later be manifested as improper sexual behaviors. Here, we investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to the PCB mixture Aroclor (A) 1221 on adult female reproductive behaviors in a dose-response model in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Using a paced mating paradigm that permits the female to set the timing of mating and control contact with the male during copulation, we were able to uncover significant differences in female-typical sexual activities in A1221-exposed females. Specifically, A1221 causes significant effects on mating trial pacing, vocalizations, ambulation and the female's likelihood to mate. The results further demonstrate that the intermediate treatment group has the greatest number of disrupted endpoints, suggestive of non-linear dose responses to A1221. These data demonstrate that the behavioral phenotype in adulthood is disrupted by low, ecologically relevant exposures to PCBs, and the results have implications for reproductive success and health in wildlife and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Steinberg
- The Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Herrick RF, Lefkowitz DJ, Weymouth GA. Soil contamination from PCB-containing buildings. Environ Health Perspect 2007; 115:173-5. [PMID: 17384760 PMCID: PMC1817698 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2006] [Accepted: 11/06/2006] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in construction materials, such as caulking used around windows and expansion joints, may constitute a source of PCB contamination in the building interiors and in surrounding soil. Several studies of soil contamination have been conducted around buildings where the caulking has been removed by grinding or scraping. The PCBs in soil may have been generated in the process of removing the caulking, but natural weathering and deterioration of the caulking may have also been a source. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to measure PCB levels in soil surrounding buildings where PCB-containing caulk was still in place, and to evaluate the mobility of the PCBs from caulking using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 1311). DISCUSSION We found soil PCB contamination ranging from 3.3 to 34 mg/kg around buildings with undisturbed caulking that contained 10,000-36,200 mg/kg PCBs. The results of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (leachate concentrations of 76-288 mg PCB/L) suggest that PCBs in caulking can be mobilized, apparently as complexes with dissolved organic matter that also leach off the caulking material. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Although these new findings are based on a small sample size, they demonstrate the need for a national survey of PCBs in building materials and in soil surrounding these buildings. Because the buildings constructed during the time the PCB caulking was in use (1960s and 1970s) include schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings, the potential for exposure of children is a particular concern. It is necessary to reconsider the practice of disposing of old PCB caulking removed during building renovations in conventional landfills, given the apparent mobility of PCBs from the caulking material. Disposal of some caulking material in nonhazardous landfills might lead to high PCB levels in landfill leachate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Herrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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Jenssen BM. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and climate change: A worst-case combination for arctic marine mammals and seabirds? Environ Health Perspect 2006; 114 Suppl 1:76-80. [PMID: 16818250 PMCID: PMC1874189 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.8057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The effects of global change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning encompass multiple complex dynamic processes. Climate change and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are currently regarded as two of the most serious anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and ecosystems. We should, therefore, be especially concerned about the possible effects of EDCs on the ability of Arctic marine mammals and seabirds to adapt to environmental alterations caused by climate change. Relationships between various organochlorine compounds, necessary such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dichlorophenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene, and oxychlordane, and hormones in Arctic mammals and seabirds imply that these chemicals pose a threat to endocrine systems of these animals. The most pronounced relationships have been reported with the thyroid hormone system, but effects are also seen in sex steroid hormones and cortisol. Even though behavioral and morphological effects of persistent organic pollutants are consistent with endocrine disruption, no direct evidence exists for such relationships. Because different endocrine systems are important for enabling animals to respond adequately to environmental stress, EDCs may interfere with adaptations to increased stress situations. Such interacting effects are likely related to adaptive responses regulated by the thyroid, sex steroid, and glucocorticosteroid systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjørn Munro Jenssen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
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Fritsche E, Cline JE, Nguyen NH, Scanlan TS, Abel J. Polychlorinated biphenyls disturb differentiation of normal human neural progenitor cells: clue for involvement of thyroid hormone receptors. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113:871-6. [PMID: 16002375 PMCID: PMC1257648 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous environmental chemicals that accumulate in adipose tissues over the food chain. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that PCBs influence brain development. Children who are exposed to PCBs during development suffer from neuropsychologic deficits such as a lower full-scale IQ (intelligence quotient), reduced visual recognition memory, and attention and motor deficits. The mechanisms leading to these effects are not fully understood. It has been speculated that PCBs may affect brain development by interfering with thyroid hormone (TH) signaling. Because most of the data are from animal studies, we established a model using primary normal human neural progenitor (NHNP) cells to determine if PCBs interfere with TH-dependent neural differentiation. NHNP cells differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in culture, and they express a variety of drug metabolism enzymes and nuclear receptors. Like triiodothyronine (T3), treatment with the mono-ortho-substituted PCB-118 (2,3',4,4 ,5-pentachlorobiphenyl; 0.01-1 microM) leads to a dose-dependent increase of oligodendrocyte formation. This effect was congener specific, because the coplanar PCB-126 (3,3',4,4 ,5-pentachlorobiphenyl) had no effect. Similar to the T3 response, the PCB-mediated effect on oligodendrocyte formation was blocked by retinoic acid and the thyroid hormone receptor antagonist NH-3. These results suggest that PCB-118 mimics T3 action via the TH pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Fritsche
- Group of Toxicology, Institut für umweltmedizinische Forschung gGmbH an der Heinrich-Heine Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Wolff MS, Teitelbaum SL, Lioy PJ, Santella RM, Wang RY, Jones RL, Caldwell KL, Sjödin A, Turner WE, Li W, Georgopoulos P, Berkowitz GS. Exposures among pregnant women near the World Trade Center site on 11 September 2001. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113:739-48. [PMID: 15929898 PMCID: PMC1257600 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2004] [Accepted: 01/27/2005] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We have characterized environmental exposures among 187 women who were pregnant, were at or near the World Trade Center (WTC) on or soon after 11 September 2001, and are enrolled in a prospective cohort study of health effects. Exposures were assessed by estimating time spent in five zones around the WTC and by developing an exposure index (EI) based on plume reconstruction modeling. The daily reconstructed dust levels were correlated with levels of particulate matter < or = 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5; r = 0.68) or PM10 (r = 0.73-0.93) reported from 26 September through 8 October 2001 at four of six sites near the WTC whose data we examined. Biomarkers were measured in a subset. Most (71%) of these women were located within eight blocks of the WTC at 0900 hr on 11 September, and 12 women were in one of the two WTC towers. Daily EIs were determined to be highest immediately after 11 September and became much lower but remained highly variable over the next 4 weeks. The weekly summary EI was associated strongly with women's perception of air quality from week 2 to week 4 after the collapse (p < 0.0001). The highest levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-deoxyribonucleic acid (PAH-DNA) adducts were seen among women whose blood was collected sooner after 11 September, but levels showed no significant associations with EI or other potential WTC exposure sources. Lead and cobalt in urine were weakly correlated with sigmaEI, but not among samples collected closest to 11 September. Plasma OC levels were low. The median polychlorinated biphenyl level (sum of congeners 118, 138, 153, 180) was 84 ng/g lipid and had a nonsignificant positive association with sigmaEI (p > 0.05). 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodibenzodioxin levels (median, 30 pg/g lipid) were similar to levels reported in WTC-exposed firefighters but were not associated with EI. This report indicates intense bystander exposure after the WTC collapse and provides information about nonoccupational exposures among a vulnerable population of pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary S Wolff
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
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Abstract
Cytochrome P-450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of some carcinogens and is believed to be induced by xenobiotics. Very few studies, however, have investigated the association between environmental exposures and in vivo CYP1A2 activity in humans. To address this issue, a study was conducted of CYP1A2 activity among Native Americans exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the consumption of fish from the St. Lawrence River. At the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne (in New York and in Ontario and Quebec, Canada), 103 adults were interviewed, and they donated blood for serum PCB analysis and underwent the caffeine breath test (CBT), a safe and noninvasive procedure that uses caffeine as a probe for CYP1A2 activity in vivo. The results supported the findings of other studies that CBT values are higher among smokers and men and lower among women who use oral contraceptives. Despite a relatively low average total PCB body burden in this population, the sum of serum levels for nine mono- or di-ortho-substituted PCB congeners showed positive associations with CBT values (p = 0.052 wet weight and p = 0.029 lipid adjusted), as did toxic equivalent quantities (TEQs; p = 0.091 for wet weight and 0.048 for lipid adjusted). Regarding individual congeners, serum levels of PCB-153, PCB-170, and PCB-180 were significantly correlated with CBT values. The results support the notion that CYP1A2 activity may be a marker of an early biological effect of exposure to PCBs in humans and that the CBT may be a useful tool to monitor such effects.
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Ganey PE, Boyd SA. An approach to evaluation of the effect of bioremediation on biological activity of environmental contaminants: dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113:180-5. [PMID: 15687055 PMCID: PMC1277862 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.6935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The effectiveness of bioremediation efforts is assessed traditionally from the loss of the chemical of interest. In some cases, analytical techniques are coupled with evaluation of toxicity to organisms representative of those found in the affected environment or surrogate organisms. Little is known, however, about the effect of remediation of environmental chemicals on potential toxicity to mammalian organisms. We discuss both an approach that employs mammalian cell system bioassays and the criteria for selection of the assays. This approach has been used to evaluate the biological response to mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before and after remediation by reductive dechlorination. The dechlorination process used results in accumulation of congeners substituted in only the ortho and para positions and containing fewer chlorines than the starting mixtures. Evaluation of the dechlorinated mixture reveals a loss of biological activity that could be ascribed to coplanar PCBs not containing chlorine in the ortho positions. Conversely, biological activity associated with ortho-substituted PCB congeners is unaffected or increased by remediation. Thus, the results of the bioassays are consistent with the remediation-induced change in the profile of PCB congeners and the known mechanisms of action of PCBs. The results emphasize a need for evaluation of the products of remediation for biological activity in mammalian systems. Furthermore, the approach outlined demonstrates the potential to assess the impact of remediation on a range of biological activities in mammalian cells and thus to estimate positive and negative effects of remediation strategies on toxicity. Future needs in this area of research include assays to evaluate biological effects under conditions of exposure that mimic those found in the environment and models to extrapolate effects to assess risk to people and wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia E Ganey
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
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Hennig B, Reiterer G, Toborek M, Matveev SV, Daugherty A, Smart E, Robertson LW. Dietary fat interacts with PCBs to induce changes in lipid metabolism in mice deficient in low-density lipoprotein receptor. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113:83-7. [PMID: 15626652 PMCID: PMC1253714 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence that dietary fat can modify the cytotoxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and that coplanar PCBs can induce inflammatory processes critical in the pathology of vascular diseases. To test the hypothesis that the interaction of PCBs with dietary fat is dependent on the type of fat, low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (LDL-R(-/-)) mice were fed diets enriched with either olive oil or corn oil for 4 weeks. Half of the animals from each group were injected with PCB-77. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression in aortic arches was nondetectable in the olive-oil-fed mice but was highly expressed in the presence of PCB-77. PCB treatment increased liver neutral lipids and decreased serum fatty acid levels only in mice fed the corn-oil-enriched diet. PCB treatment increased mRNA expression of genes involved in inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in all mice. Upon PCB treatment, mice in both olive- and corn-oil-diet groups showed induction of genes involved in fatty acid degradation but with up-regulation of different key enzymes. Genes involved in fatty acid synthesis were reduced only upon PCB treatment in corn-oil-fed mice, whereas lipid transport/export genes were altered in olive-oil-fed mice. These data suggest that dietary fat can modify changes in lipid metabolism induced by PCBs in serum and tissues. These findings have implications for understanding the interactions of nutrients with environmental contaminants on the pathology of inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Hennig
- Molecular and Cell Nutrition Laboratory, College of Agriculture and Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0200, USA.
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Vezina CM, Walker NJ, Olson JR. Subchronic exposure to TCDD, PeCDF, PCB126, and PCB153: effect on hepatic gene expression. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:1636-44. [PMID: 15598615 PMCID: PMC1247661 DOI: 10.1289/txg.7253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
We employed DNA microarray to identify unique hepatic gene expression patterns associated with subchronic exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and other halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs). Female Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 13 weeks to toxicologically equivalent doses of four different HAHs based on the toxic equivalency factor of each chemical: TCDD (100 ng/kg/day), 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF; 200 ng/kg/day), 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126; 1,000 ng/kg/day), or 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB153; 1,000 microg/kg/day). Global gene expression profiles for each exposure, which account for 8,799 gene probe sets contained on Affymetrix RGU34A GeneChips, were compared by principal components analysis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands TCDD, PeCDF, and PCB126 produced very similar global gene expression profiles that were unique from the nonAhR ligand PCB153, underscoring the extensive impact of AhR activation and/or the resulting hepatic injury on global gene expression in female rat liver. Many genes were co-expressed during the 13-week TCDD, PeCDF, or PCB126 exposures, including classical AhR-regulated genes and some genes not previously characterized as being AhR regulated, such as carcinoembryonic-cell adhesion molecule 4 (C-CAM4) and adenylate cyclase-associated protein 2 (CAP2). Real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction confirmed the increased expression of these genes in TCDD-, PeCDF-, and PCB126-exposed rats as well as the up- or down-regulation of several other novel dioxin-responsive genes. In summary, DNA microarray successfully identified dioxin-responsive genes expressed after exposure to AhR ligands (TCDD, PeCDF, PCB126) but not after exposure to the non-AhR ligand PCB153. Together, these findings may help to elucidate some of the fundamental features of dioxin toxicity and may further clarify the biologic role of the AhR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M Vezina
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Soechitram SD, Athanasiadou M, Hovander L, Bergman A, Sauer PJJ. Fetal exposure to PCBs and their hydroxylated metabolites in a Dutch cohort. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:1208-12. [PMID: 15289169 PMCID: PMC1247484 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.6424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2003] [Accepted: 04/13/2004] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are still the most abundant pollutants in wildlife and humans. Hydroxylated PCB metabolites (OH-PCBs) are known to be formed in humans and wildlife. Studies in animals show that these metabolites cause endocrine-related toxicity. The health effects in humans have not yet been evaluated, especially the effect on the fetus and newborn. The aim of this study is to measure the levels of PCBs and OH-PCBs in maternal and cord blood samples in a population with background levels of PCBs. We analyzed 51 maternal and corresponding cord blood samples in the northern part of the Netherlands. The PCB concentrations in maternal plasma ranged from 2 to 293 ng/g lipid, and OH-PCB concentrations from nondetectable (ND) to 0.62 ng/g fresh weight. In cord plasma, PCB concentrations were 1-277 ng/g lipid, and OH-PCB concentrations, ND to 0.47 ng/g fresh weight. The cord versus maternal blood calculated ratio was 1.28 +/- 0.56 for PCBs and 2.11 +/- 1.33 for OH-PCBs, expressed per gram of lipid. When expressed per gram fresh weight, the ratios are 0.32 +/- 0.15 and 0.53 +/- 0.23 for PCBs and OH-PCBs, respectively. A significant correlation between the respective maternal and cord levels for both PCBs and OH-PCBs was found. Our results indicate that OH-PCBs and PCBs are transferred across the placenta to the fetus in concentrations resulting in levels of approximately 50 and 30%, respectively, of those in maternal plasma. More research in humans is needed to evaluate potential negative effects of these endocrine disruptors on the fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalini Devi Soechitram
- University Hospital Groningen, Department of Paediatrics/Beatrix Children's Hospital, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Herrick RF, McClean MD, Meeker JD, Baxter LK, Weymouth GA. An unrecognized source of PCB contamination in schools and other buildings. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:1051-3. [PMID: 15238275 PMCID: PMC1247375 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.6912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
An investigation of 24 buildings in the Greater Boston Area revealed that one-third (8 of 24) contained caulking materials with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content exceeding 50 ppm by weight, which is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) specified limit above which this material is considered to be PCB bulk product waste. These buildings included schools and other public buildings. In a university building where similar levels of PCB were found in caulking material, PCB levels in indoor air ranged from 111 to 393 ng/m3; and in dust taken from the building ventilation system, < 1 ppm to 81 ppm. In this building, the U.S. EPA mandated requirements for the removal and disposal of the PCB bulk product waste as well as for confirmatory sampling to ensure that the interior and exterior of the building were decontaminated. Although U.S. EPA regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act stipulate procedures by which PCB-contaminated materials must be handled and disposed, the regulations apparently do not require that materials such as caulking be tested to determine its PCB content. This limited investigation strongly suggests that were this testing done, many buildings would be found to contain high levels of PCBs in the building materials and potentially in the building environment. The presence of PCBs in schools is of particular concern given evidence suggesting that PCBs are developmental toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Herrick
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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Fushinobu S, Saku T, Hidaka M, Jun SY, Nojiri H, Yamane H, Shoun H, Omori T, Wakagi T. Crystal structures of a meta-cleavage product hydrolase from Pseudomonas fluorescens IP01 (CumD) complexed with cleavage products. Protein Sci 2002; 11:2184-95. [PMID: 12192074 PMCID: PMC2373588 DOI: 10.1110/ps.0209602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
2-Hydroxy-6-oxo-7-methylocta-2,4-dienoate hydrolase (CumD) from Pseudomonas fluorescens IP01 hydrolyzes a meta-cleavage product generated in the cumene (isopropylbenzene) degradation pathway. The crystal structures of the inactive S103A mutant of the CumD enzyme complexed with isobutyrate and acetate ions were determined at 1.6 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. The isobutyrate and acetate ions were located at the same position in the active site, and occupied the site for a part of the hydrolysis product with CumD, which has the key determinant group for the substrate specificity of related hydrolases. One of the oxygen atoms of the carboxyl group of the isobutyrate ion was hydrogen bonded with a water molecule and His252. Another oxygen atom of the carboxyl group was situated in an oxyanion hole formed by the two main-chain N atoms. The isopropyl group of the isobutyric acid was recognized by the side-chains of the hydrophobic residues. The substrate-binding pocket of CumD was long, and the inhibition constants of various organic acids corresponded well to it. In comparison with the structure of BphD from Rhodococcus sp. RHA1, the structural basis for the substrate specificity of related hydrolases, is revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinya Fushinobu
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
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Mayes BA, McConnell EE, Neal BH, Brunner MJ, Hamilton SB, Sullivan TM, Peters AC, Ryan MJ, Toft JD, Singer AW, Brown JF, Menton RG, Moore JA. Comparative carcinogenicity in Sprague-Dawley rats of the polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures Aroclors 1016, 1242, 1254, and 1260. Toxicol Sci 1998; 41:62-76. [PMID: 9520342 PMCID: PMC7107229 DOI: 10.1006/toxs.1997.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity study was conducted on a series of Aroclors (1016, 1242, 1254, and 1260). Each Aroclor was assessed at multiple dietary concentrations, ranging from 25 to 200 ppm, for 24 months in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Liver toxicity was indicated by elevated serum enzyme activity (AST, ALT, and GGT), elevated serum cholesterol concentration, decreases in hematologic parameters (RBC, Hb, and Hct), hepatocellular hypertrophy, an increased incidence of altered hepatocellular foci, and an increased incidence of hepatocellular neoplasms (primarily adenomas). Liver toxicity was distinctly more severe in females than in males. The incidence of hepatocellular neoplasms was highly sex-dependent (females >> males), differed between Aroclor mixtures and, for females, increased with dose and followed the general incidence pattern of Aroclor 1254 > Aroclor 1260 approximately Aroclor 1242 > Aroclor 1016. A significant response (p < 0.05) in males was seen only for the high dose of Aroclor 1260. A small increase in the incidence of thyroid gland follicular cell adenomas was noted in males for Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260, with the incidence being uniform across dose groups and Aroclor mixtures. For females, increased survival relative to controls was observed for all Aroclor treatment groups. A significantly decreased trend in the incidence of mammary gland neoplasms compared to control was also noted for females receiving Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260.
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Affiliation(s)
- B A Mayes
- General Electric Corporate Research & Development, Schenectady, New York, USA
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