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Reddy N, Lynch B, Gujral J, Karnik K. Alternatives to animal testing in toxicity testing: Current status and future perspectives in food safety assessments. Food Chem Toxicol 2023; 179:113944. [PMID: 37453475 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The development of alternative methods to animal testing has gained great momentum since Russel and Burch introduced the "3Rs" concept of Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement of animals in safety testing in 1959. Several alternatives to animal testing have since been introduced, including but not limited to in vitro and in chemico test systems, in silico models, and computational models (e.g., [quantitative] structural activity relationship models, high-throughput screens, organ-on-chip models, and genomics or bioinformatics) to predict chemical toxicity. Furthermore, several agencies have developed robust integrated testing strategies to determine chemical toxicity. The cosmetics sector is pioneering the adoption of alternative methodologies for safety evaluations, and other sectors are aiming to completely abandon animal testing by 2035. However, beyond the use of in vitro genetic testing, agencies regulating the food industry have been slow to implement alternative methodologies into safety evaluations compared with other sectors; setting health-based guidance values for food ingredients requires data from systemic toxicity, and to date, no standalone validated alternative models to assess systemic toxicity exist. The abovementioned models show promise for assessing systemic toxicity with further research. In this paper, we review the current alternatives and their applicability and limitations in food safety evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navya Reddy
- Intertek Health Sciences Inc., 2233 Argentia Rd, Suite 201, Mississauga, ON, L5N 2X7, Canada
| | - Barry Lynch
- Intertek Health Sciences Inc., 2233 Argentia Rd, Suite 201, Mississauga, ON, L5N 2X7, Canada.
| | - Jaspreet Gujral
- Tate & Lyle, 5450 Prairie Stone Pkwy, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60192, USA
| | - Kavita Karnik
- Tate & Lyle PLC, 5 Marble Arch, London, W1H 7EJ, United Kingdom
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EU’s next generation risk assessment: hurdles and opportunities for new approach methodologies. J Verbrauch Lebensm 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00003-022-01403-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe EU’s decision to ban animal testing for toxicity testing, has positively influenced the pace of developing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). This development also supports replacing animal methods in other forms of risk assessment (RA), such as for oral-toxicity testing. This study aims to identify the hurdles and opportunities for validation and implementation of NAMs in the current EU’s chemical RA. Through conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 stakeholders, experiences and perspectives about the validation and implementation of NAMs in RA for orally ingested chemicals were analyzed. Stakeholders considered the use of NAMs for RA processes both a cultural and generational issue. Both were perceived as hurdles for reaching the next generation RA approach. The differing views on NAMs originated from experience and stakeholder positions, but communication and collaboration on developing future RA approaches could support overcoming this skepticism. Irrespectively of their background, all interviewees were generally optimistic that NAMs will support the development of more accurate and sustainable RA. This research highlights the need for the EU to adjust legislation and guidance documents to shift in testing requirements from the traditional overexposure approach to more predictive, mechanistic testing in RA, which will take time. This study, however, shows that—when all stakeholders engage in communication and confidence building—NAMs can already play an important role in reducing and refining animal testing.
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Huchthausen J, Henneberger L, Mälzer S, Nicol B, Sparham C, Escher BI. High-Throughput Assessment of the Abiotic Stability of Test Chemicals in In Vitro Bioassays. Chem Res Toxicol 2022; 35:867-879. [PMID: 35394761 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic stability of chemicals is not routinely tested prior to performing in vitro bioassays, although abiotic degradation can reduce the concentration of test chemicals leading to the formation of active or inactive transformation products, which may lead to misinterpretation of bioassay results. A high-throughput workflow was developed to measure the abiotic stability of 22 test chemicals in protein-rich aqueous media under typical bioassay conditions at 37 °C for 48 h. These test chemicals were degradable in the environment according to a literature review. The chemicals were extracted from the exposure media at different time points using a novel 96-pin solid-phase microextraction. The conditions were varied to differentiate between various reaction mechanisms. For most hydrolyzable chemicals, pH-dependent degradation in phosphate-buffered saline indicated that acid-catalyzed hydrolysis was less important than reactions with hydroxide ions. Reactions with proteins were mainly responsible for the depletion of the test chemicals in the media, which was simulated by bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glutathione (GSH). 1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 2-methyl-4-isothiazolinone, and l-sulforaphane reacted almost instantaneously with GSH but not with BSA, indicating that GSH is a good proxy for reactivity with electrophilic amino acids but may overestimate the actual reaction with three-dimensional proteins. Chemicals such as hydroquinones or polyunsaturated chemicals are prone to autoxidation, but this reaction is difficult to differentiate from hydrolysis and could not be simulated by the oxidant N-bromosuccinimide. Photodegradation played a minor role because cells are exposed in incubators in the dark and simulations with high light intensities did not yield realistic degradation. Stability predictions from various in silico prediction models for environmental conditions can give initial indications of the stability but were not always consistent with the experimental stability in bioassays. As the presented workflow can be performed in high throughput under realistic bioassay conditions, it can be used to provide an experimental database for developing bioassay-specific stability prediction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Huchthausen
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research─UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Luise Henneberger
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research─UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sophia Mälzer
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research─UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate Nicol
- Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Unilever, Colworth House, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, U.K
| | - Chris Sparham
- Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Unilever, Colworth House, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, U.K
| | - Beate I Escher
- Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research─UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, DE-04318 Leipzig, Germany.,Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Mihajlovic M, Vinken M. Mitochondria as the Target of Hepatotoxicity and Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Molecular Mechanisms and Detection Methods. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063315. [PMID: 35328737 PMCID: PMC8951158 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the major mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury includes mitochondrial perturbation and dysfunction. This is not a surprise, given that mitochondria are essential organelles in most cells, which are responsible for energy homeostasis and the regulation of cellular metabolism. Drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction can be influenced by various factors and conditions, such as genetic predisposition, the presence of metabolic disorders and obesity, viral infections, as well as drugs. Despite the fact that many methods have been developed for studying mitochondrial function, there is still a need for advanced and integrative models and approaches more closely resembling liver physiology, which would take into account predisposing factors. This could reduce the costs of drug development by the early prediction of potential mitochondrial toxicity during pre-clinical tests and, especially, prevent serious complications observed in clinical settings.
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Sabuz Vidal O, Deepika D, Schuhmacher M, Kumar V. EDC-induced mechanisms of immunotoxicity: a systematic review. Crit Rev Toxicol 2022; 51:634-652. [PMID: 35015608 DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2021.2009438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) refer to a group of chemicals that cause adverse effects in human health, impairing hormone production and regulation, resulting in alteration of homeostasis, reproductive, and developmental, and immune system impairments. The immunotoxicity of EDCs involves many mechanisms altering gene expression that depend on the activation of nuclear receptors such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), the estrogen receptor (ER), and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), which also results in skin and intestinal disorders, microbiota alterations and inflammatory diseases. This systematic review aims to review different mechanisms of immunotoxicity and immunomodulation of T cells, focusing on T regulatory (Treg) and Th17 subsets, B cells, and dendritic cells (DCs) caused by specific EDCs such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), bisphenols (BPs) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). To achieve this objective, a systematic study was conducted searching various databases including PubMed and Scopus to find in-vitro, in-vivo, and biomonitoring studies that examine EDC-dependent mechanisms of immunotoxicity. While doing the systematic review, we found species- and cell-specific outcomes and a translational gap between in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. Finally, an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework is proposed, which explains mechanistically toxicity endpoints emerging from different EDCs having similar key events and can help to improve our understanding of EDCs mechanisms of immunotoxicity. In conclusion, this review provides insights into the mechanisms of immunotoxicity mediated by EDCs and will help to improve human health risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Sabuz Vidal
- Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Deepika Deepika
- Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Marta Schuhmacher
- Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Vikas Kumar
- Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.,IISPV, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Reus, Spain
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Tabernilla A, dos Santos Rodrigues B, Pieters A, Caufriez A, Leroy K, Van Campenhout R, Cooreman A, Gomes AR, Arnesdotter E, Gijbels E, Vinken M. In Vitro Liver Toxicity Testing of Chemicals: A Pragmatic Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5038. [PMID: 34068678 PMCID: PMC8126138 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22095038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The liver is among the most frequently targeted organs by noxious chemicals of diverse nature. Liver toxicity testing using laboratory animals not only raises serious ethical questions, but is also rather poorly predictive of human safety towards chemicals. Increasing attention is, therefore, being paid to the development of non-animal and human-based testing schemes, which rely to a great extent on in vitro methodology. The present paper proposes a rationalized tiered in vitro testing strategy to detect liver toxicity triggered by chemicals, in which the first tier is focused on assessing general cytotoxicity, while the second tier is aimed at identifying liver-specific toxicity as such. A state-of-the-art overview is provided of the most commonly used in vitro assays that can be used in both tiers. Advantages and disadvantages of each assay as well as overall practical considerations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mathieu Vinken
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium; (A.T.); (B.d.S.R.); (A.P.); (A.C.); (K.L.); (R.V.C.); (A.C.); (A.R.G.); (E.A.); (E.G.)
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A review of species differences in the control of, and response to, chemical-induced thyroid hormone perturbations leading to thyroid cancer. Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:807-836. [PMID: 33398420 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02961-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This review summarises the current state of knowledge regarding the physiology and control of production of thyroid hormones, the effects of chemicals in perturbing their synthesis and release that result in thyroid cancer. It does not consider the potential neurodevelopmental consequences of low thyroid hormones. There are a number of known molecular initiating events (MIEs) that affect thyroid hormone synthesis in mammals and many chemicals are able to activate multiple MIEs simultaneously. AOP analysis of chemical-induced thyroid cancer in rodents has defined the key events that predispose to the development of rodent cancer and many of these will operate in humans under appropriate conditions, if they were exposed to high enough concentrations of the affecting chemicals. There are conditions however that, at the very least, would indicate significant quantitative differences in the sensitivity of humans to these effects, with rodents being considerably more sensitive to thyroid effects by virtue of differences in the biology, transport and control of thyroid hormones in these species as opposed to humans where turnover is appreciably lower and where serum transport of T4/T3 is different to that operating in rodents. There is heated debate around claimed qualitative differences between the rodent and human thyroid physiology, and significant reservations, both scientific and regulatory, still exist in terms of the potential neurodevelopmental consequences of low thyroid hormone levels at critical windows of time. In contrast, the situation for the chemical induction of thyroid cancer, through effects on thyroid hormone production and release, is less ambiguous with both theoretical, and actual data, showing clear dose-related thresholds for the key events predisposing to chemically induced thyroid cancer in rodents. In addition, qualitative differences in transport, and quantitative differences in half life, catabolism and turnover of thyroid hormones, exist that would not operate under normal situations in humans.
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de Boer A, Krul L, Fehr M, Geurts L, Kramer N, Tabernero Urbieta M, van der Harst J, van de Water B, Venema K, Schütte K, Hepburn PA. Animal-free strategies in food safety & nutrition: What are we waiting for? Part I: Food safety. Trends Food Sci Technol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Brand W, Peters RJB, Braakhuis HM, Maślankiewicz L, Oomen AG. Possible effects of titanium dioxide particles on human liver, intestinal tissue, spleen and kidney after oral exposure. Nanotoxicology 2020; 14:985-1007. [PMID: 32619159 DOI: 10.1080/17435390.2020.1778809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies reported adverse liver effects and intestinal tumor formation after oral exposure to titanium dioxide (TiO2). Other oral toxicological studies, however, observed no effects on liver and intestine, despite prolonged exposure and/or high doses. In the present assessment, we aimed to better understand whether TiO2 can induce such effects at conditions relevant for humans. Therefore, we focused not only on the clinical and histopathological observations, but also used Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) to consider earlier steps (Key Events). In addition, aiming for a more accurate risk assessment, the available information on organ concentrations of Ti (resulting from exposure to TiO2) from oral animal studies was compared to recently reported concentrations found in human postmortem organs. The overview obtained with the AOP approach indicates that TiO2 can trigger a number of key events in liver and intestine: Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, induction of oxidative stress and inflammation. TiO2 seems to be able to exert these early effects in animal studies at Ti liver concentrations that are only a factor of 30 and 6 times higher than the median and highest liver concentration found in humans, respectively. This confirms earlier conclusions that adverse effects on the liver in humans as a result of (oral) TiO2 exposure cannot be excluded. Data for comparison with Ti levels in human intestinal tissue, spleen and kidney with effect concentrations were too limited to draw firm conclusions. The Ti levels, though, are similar or higher than those found in liver, suggesting these tissues may be relevant too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Brand
- Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud J B Peters
- Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hedwig M Braakhuis
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Lidka Maślankiewicz
- Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Agnes G Oomen
- Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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