Use of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to simulate the profiles of 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene in workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil based on both toxicity risk control and hydrocarbon removal-progress and prospect

Petroleum contamination remains a worldwide issue requiring cost-effective bioremediation techniques. However, establishing a universal bioremediation strategy for all types of oil-polluted sites is challenging. This difficulty arises from the heterogeneity of soil textures, the complexity of oil products, and the variations in local climate and environment across different oil-contaminated regions. Several factors can impede bioremediation efficacy: (i) differences in bioavailability and biodegradability between aliphatic and aromatic fractions of crude oil; (ii) inconsistencies between hydrocarbon removal efficiency and toxicity attenuation during remediation; (iii) varying adverse effect of aliphatic and aromatic fractions on soil microorganisms. This review examines the ecotoxicity risk of petroleum contamination to soil fauna and flora. It also discusses three primary bioremediation strategies: biostimulation with nutrients, bioaugmentation with petroleum degraders, and phytoremediation with plants. Based on current research and state-of-the-art challenges, we highlighted future research scopes should focus on (i) exploring the ecotoxicity differentiation of aliphatic and aromatic fractions of crude oil, (ii) establishing unified risk factors and indicators for evaluating oil pollution toxicity, (iii) determining the fate and transformation of aliphatic and aromatic fractions of crude oil using advanced analytical techniques, and (iv) developing combined bioremediation techniques that improve petroleum removal and ecotoxicity attenuation.

Activity-Based Protein Profiling to Probe Relationships between Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Early-Age Metabolism of Two Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Phenanthrene and Retene

A growing body of literature has linked early-life exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with adverse neurodevelopmental effects. Once in the body, metabolism serves as a powerful mediator of PAH toxicity by bioactivating and detoxifying PAH metabolites. Since enzyme expression and activity vary considerably throughout human development, we evaluated infant metabolism of PAHs as a potential contributing factor to PAH susceptibility. We measured and compared rates of phenanthrene and retene (two primary PAH constituents of woodsmoke) metabolism in human hepatic microsomes from individuals ≤21 months of age to a pooled sample (n = 200) consisting primarily of adults. We used activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) to characterize cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) in the same hepatic microsome samples. Once incubated in microsomes, phenanthrene demonstrated rapid depletion. Best-fit models for phenanthrene metabolism demonstrated either 1 or 2 phases, depending on the sample, indicating that multiple enzymes could metabolize phenanthrene. We observed no statistically significant differences in phenanthrene metabolism as a function of age, although samples from the youngest individuals had the slowest phenanthrene metabolism rates. We observed slower rates of retene metabolism compared with phenanthrene also in multiple phases. Rates of retene metabolism increased in an age-dependent manner until adult (pooled) metabolism rates were achieved at ∼12 months. ABPP identified 28 unique CYPs among all samples, and we observed lower amounts of active CYPs in individuals ≤21 months of age compared to the pooled sample. Phenanthrene metabolism correlated to CYPs 1A1, 1A2, 2C8, 4A22, 3A4, and 3A43 and retene metabolism correlated to CYPs 1A1, 1A2, and 2C8 measured by ABPP and vendor-supplied substrate marker activities. These results will aid efforts to determine human health risk and susceptibility to PAHs exposure during early life.

Co-PBK: a computational biomonitoring tool for assessing chronic internal exposure to chemicals and metabolites

Toxic chemicals are released into the environment through diverse human activities. An increasing number of chronic diseases are associated with ambient pollution, thus posing a threat to people. Given the high consumption of resources for human biomonitoring, this study proposed coupled physiologically-based kinetic (co-PBK) modeling matrices as a biomonitoring tool for simplifying chronic internal exposure estimates of environmental chemicals and their metabolites using naphthalene (NAP) and its metabolites (i.e., 1-OHN and 2-OHN) as simulation examples. According to the simulation of the steady-state mass among various organs/tissues via the co-PBK modeling matrices, fat had the highest potential bioaccumulation of NAP and its metabolites. With respect to body fluids, 1-OHN and 2-OHN tended to bioaccumulate more in the bile than in the urine. According to the sensitivity analysis, the calculated sensitivity factors for the first-order kinetics-based rate constants imply that due to the biotransformation process, target organs/tissues (e.g., liver and kidneys) would be continuously exposed to more NAP metabolites under chronic exposure. Meanwhile, 1-OHN may be more stably transported to the urine than 2-OHN for further human biomonitoring during long-term internal exposure. According to the case study of simulating population chronic exposure to NAP in Shenzhen, the co-PBK modeling estimated the population exposure to NAP with an intake rate of 8.77 × 10-2 mg d-1 and the aggregated urinary concentration of NAP metabolites of 2.60 μg L-1. Furthermore, the accuracy of the urinary levels between the real-world data and the values simulated by the co-PBK modeling was assessed and the root-mean-square error of c1-OHN,urine was found to be lower than that of c2-OHN,urine.

Developing a profile of urinary PAH metabolites among Chinese populations in the 2010s

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose significant health risks. However, no nationwide cohort has been established to consistently record biomonitoring data on PAH exposure in the Chinese population. Biomonitoring data from 56 published studies were combined in this study to develop a profile of urinary PAH metabolites among Chinese population in the 2010s. The stacked column charts described the composition profiles of hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) in general, special, and occupational populations. Hydroxynaphthalene (OH-Nap) and hydroxyfluorene (OH-Flu) accounted for more than half of the urinary OH-PAH in general and special populations. The urine of the occupational populations contained a significant amount of hydroxyphenanthrene (OH-Phe) and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPyr). Furthermore, this study analyzed the distribution profiles of non-occupationally exposed populations, such as spatial distribution, age distribution, and trends over time. The population of the Southern region had higher urinary OH-PAH concentrations than the population of the Northern region. Adults (45-55 years old) had the highest level of internal PAH exposure. Between 2010 and 2018, the overall trend of urinary OH-PAHs in Chinese general populations decreased. The cumulative distribution function (CDF) revealed that 1-OHNap and 1-OHPyr were better at distinguishing internal PAH exposure among different populations. The sum of OH-Flu and OH-Phe in urine can be used to assess the impact of indoor and outdoor environments on human exposure to PAHs. Our findings suggest that more emphasis should be placed on collecting biomonitoring data for adults of all ages (particularly in the Northern region) and vulnerable populations. In conclusion, this study advocates for the establishment of a nationwide cohort study of Chinese populations as soon as possible in the future to evaluate the Chinese population's exposure to environmental contaminants.

A Scoping Review of Technologies and Their Applicability for Exposome-Based Risk Assessment in the Oil and Gas Industry

INTRODUCTION

Oil and gas workers have been shown to be at increased risk of chronic diseases including cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hearing loss, among others. Technological advances may be used to assess the external (e.g. personal sensors, smartphone apps and online platforms, exposure models) and internal exposome (e.g. physiologically based kinetic modeling (PBK), biomonitoring, omics), offering numerous possibilities for chronic disease prevention strategies and risk management measures. The objective of this study was to review the literature on these technologies, by focusing on: (i) evaluating their applicability for exposome research in the oil and gas industry, and (ii) identifying key challenges that may hamper the successful application of such technologies in the oil and gas industry.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted by identifying peer-reviewed literature with searches in MEDLINE/PubMed and SciVerse Scopus. Two assessors trained on the search strategy screened retrieved articles on title and abstract. The inclusion criteria used for this review were: application of the aforementioned technologies at a workplace in the oil and gas industry or, application of these technologies for an exposure relevant to the oil and gas industry but in another occupational sector, English language and publication period 2005-end of 2019.

RESULTS

In total, 72 articles were included in this scoping review with most articles focused on omics and bioinformatics (N = 22), followed by biomonitoring and biomarkers (N = 20), external exposure modeling (N = 11), PBK modeling (N = 10), and personal sensors (N = 9). Several studies were identified in the oil and gas industry on the application of PBK models and biomarkers, mainly focusing on workers exposed to benzene. The application of personal sensors, new types of exposure models, and omics technology are still in their infancy with respect to the oil and gas industry. Nevertheless, applications of these technologies in other occupational sectors showed the potential for application in this sector.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

New exposome technologies offer great promise for personal monitoring of workers in the oil and gas industry, but more applied research is needed in collaboration with the industry. Current challenges hindering a successful application of such technologies include (i) the technological readiness of sensors, (ii) the availability of data, (iii) the absence of standardized and validated methods, and (iv) the need for new study designs to study the development of disease during working life.

Predicting the in vivo developmental toxicity of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in rats by an in vitro-in silico approach

Developmental toxicity testing is an animal-intensive endpoints in toxicity testing and calls for animal-free alternatives. Previous studies showed the applicability of an in vitro–in silico approach for predicting developmental toxicity of a range of compounds, based on data from the mouse embryonic stem cell test (EST) combined with physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modelling facilitated reverse dosimetry. In the current study, the use of this approach for predicting developmental toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was evaluated, using benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as a model compound. A rat PBK model of BaP was developed to simulate the kinetics of its main metabolite 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OHBaP), shown previously to be responsible for the developmental toxicity of BaP. Comparison to in vivo kinetic data showed that the model adequately predicted BaP and 3-OHBaP blood concentrations in the rat. Using this PBK model and reverse dosimetry, a concentration–response curve for 3-OHBaP obtained in the EST was translated into an in vivo dose–response curve for developmental toxicity of BaP in rats upon single or repeated dose exposure. The predicted half maximal effect doses (ED₅₀) amounted to 67 and 45 mg/kg bw being comparable to the ED₅₀ derived from the in vivo dose–response data reported for BaP in the literature, of 29 mg/kg bw. The present study provides a proof of principle of applying this in vitro–in silico approach for evaluating developmental toxicity of BaP and may provide a promising strategy for predicting the developmental toxicity of related PAHs, without the need for extensive animal testing.

Mechanistic PBPK Modeling of Urine pH Effect on Renal and Systemic Disposition of Methamphetamine and Amphetamine

The effect of urine pH on renal excretion and systemic disposition has been observed for many drugs and metabolites. When urine pH is altered, tubular ionization, passive reabsorption, renal clearance, and systemic exposure of drugs and metabolites may all change dramatically, raising clinically significant concerns. Surprisingly, the urine pH effect on drug disposition is not routinely explored in humans, and regulatory agencies have neither developed guidance on this issue nor required industry to conduct pertinent human trials. In this study, we hypothesized that physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling could be used as a cost-effective method to examine potential urine pH effect on drug and metabolite disposition. Our previously developed and verified mechanistic kidney model was integrated with a full-body PBPK model to simulate renal clearance and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) with varying urine pH statuses using methamphetamine and amphetamine as model compounds. We first developed and verified drug models for methamphetamine and amphetamine under normal urine pH condition [absolute average fold error (AAFE) < 1.25 at study level]. Then, acidic and alkaline urine scenarios were simulated. Our simulation results show that the renal excretion and plasma concentration-time profiles for methamphetamine and amphetamine could be recapitulated under different urine pH (AAFE < 2 at individual level). The methamphetamine-amphetamine parent-metabolite full-body PBPK model also successfully simulated amphetamine plasma concentration-time profiles (AAFE < 1.25 at study level) and amphetamine/methamphetamine urinary concentration ratios (AAFE < 2 at individual level) after dosing methamphetamine. This demonstrates that our mechanistic PBPK model can predict urine pH effect on systemic and urinary disposition of drugs and metabolites. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Our study shows that integrating mechanistic kidney model with full-body physiologically based pharmacokinetic model can predict the magnitude of alteration in renal excretion and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of drugs and metabolites when urine pH is changed. This provides a cost-effective method to evaluate the likelihood of renal and systemic disposition changes due to varying urine pH. This is important because multiple drugs and diseases can alter urine pH, leading to quantitatively and clinically significant changes in drug and metabolite disposition that may require adjustment of therapy.

Physiology-based toxicokinetic modelling in the frame of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative

Given the opportunities provided by internal dosimetry modelling in the interpretation of human biomonitoring (HBM) data, the assessment of the links between exposure to chemicals and observed HBM data can be effectively supported by PBTK modelling. This paper gives a comprehensive review of available human PBTK models for compounds selected as a priority by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU). We highlight their advantages and deficiencies and suggest steps for advanced internal dose modelling. The review of the available PBTK models highlighted the conceptual differences between older models compared to the ones developed recently, reflecting commensurate differences in research questions. Due to the lack of coordinated strategies for deriving useful biomonitoring data for toxicokinetic properties, significant problems in model parameterisation still remain; these are further increased by the lack of human toxicokinetic data due to ethics issues. Finally, questions arise as well as to the extent they are really representative of interindividual variability. QSARs for toxicokinetic properties is a complementary approach for PBTK model parameterisation, especially for data poor chemicals. This approach could be expanded to model chemico-biological interactions such as intestinal absorption and renal clearance; this could serve the development of more complex generic PBTK models that could be applied to newly derived chemicals. Another gap identified is the framework for mixture interaction terms among compounds that could eventually interact in metabolism. From the review it was concluded that efforts should be shifted toward the development of generic multi-compartmental and multi-route models, supported by targeted biomonitoring coupled with parameterisation by both QSAR approach and experimental (in-vivo and in-vitro) data for newly developed and data poor compounds.

Evaluating parameter availability for physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in zebrafish

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are considered useful tools to describe the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics. For accurate predictions, PBPK models require species-specific and compound-specific parameters. Zebrafish are considered an appropriate vertebrate model for investigating the toxicity of a wide variety of compounds. However, no specific mechanistic model exists for the pharmacokinetics of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in zebrafish, despite growing concern about this class of ubiquitous environmental contaminants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of knowledge for the parameters that would be needed to construct such a model for zebrafish. We chose perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a model PFAA with greater data availability. We have updated a previous PBPK model for rainbow trout to simulate PFOA fate in zebrafish following waterborne exposure. For the first time, the model considers hepatobiliary circulation. In order to evaluate the availability of parameters to implement this model, we performed an extensive literature review to find zebrafish-specific parameters. As in previous approaches, we broadened our search to include mammalian and other fish studies when zebrafish-specific data were lacking. Based on the method used to measure or estimate parameters, or based on their species-specific origin, we scored and ranked the quality of available parameters. These scores were then used in Monte Carlo and partial rank correlation analyses to identify the most critical data gaps. The liver, where fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) and plasma proteins are considered, represented the best model-data agreement. Lack of agreement in other tissues suggest better parameters are needed. The results of our study highlight the lack of zebrafish-specific parameters. Based on sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, parameters associated with PFAA-protein interactions and passive diffusion need further refinement to enable development of predictive models for these emerging chemicals in zebrafish.

Aggregating exposures & cumulating risk for semivolatile organic compounds: A review

Increasingly, health risk assessment is addressing multiple pathway exposures to multiple contaminants. We reviewed aggregated exposure and cumulative risk approaches for contemporary and ubiquitous semivolatile organic compounds (SVOC). We identified 22 studies aggregating exposure pathways, and 31 cumulating risk. Exposure aggregation is based on the addition of pathway-specific doses, using kinetic modeling where it exists, and classic external dose equations otherwise. In most cases, exposure is dominated by a single route or source of exposure - mainly the oral pathway - via dietary or non-dietary exposure. Preferential routes and sources of exposure are influenced by SVOC physical-chemical properties such as vapor pressure. The cumulative risk approach for contaminants is based on dose addition. Simple sum of hazard quotient (Hazard Index: HI) is the most commonly used cumulative risk assessment approach, while Relative Potency Factor (RPF) appeared to the best suited - although this calls for a level of toxicological information that limits the number of compounds that can be studied simultaneously. Where both were performed, moving from HI to more refined approach produced similar results. In conclusion, both approaches - exposure aggregation and cumulative risk - rely on simple assumptions. Nevertheless, they allow uncertainty to be reduced, in comparison with source-by-source or chemical-by-chemical approaches.

Predicting lung dosimetry of inhaled particleborne benzo[a]pyrene using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a by-product of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and plant/wood products, including tobacco. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for BaP for the rat was extended to simulate inhalation exposures to BaP in rats and humans including particle deposition and dissolution of absorbed BaP and renal elimination of 3-hydroxy benzo[a]pyrene (3-OH BaP) in humans. The clearance of particle-associated BaP from lung based on existing data in rats and dogs suggest that the process is bi-phasic. An initial rapid clearance was represented by BaP released from particles followed by a slower first-order clearance that follows particle kinetics. Parameter values for BaP-particle dissociation were estimated using inhalation data from isolated/ventilated/perfused rat lungs and optimized in the extended inhalation model using available rat data. Simulations of acute inhalation exposures in rats identified specific data needs including systemic elimination of BaP metabolites, diffusion-limited transfer rates of BaP from lung tissue to blood and the quantitative role of macrophage-mediated and ciliated clearance mechanisms. The updated BaP model provides very good prediction of the urinary 3-OH BaP concentrations and the relative difference between measured 3-OH BaP in nonsmokers versus smokers. This PBPK model for inhaled BaP is a preliminary tool for quantifying lung BaP dosimetry in rat and humans and was used to prioritize data needs that would provide significant model refinement and robust internal dosimetry capabilities.

Urinary elimination kinetics of 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene and 1-hydroxypyrene of workers in a prebake aluminum electrode production plant: Evaluation of diuresis correction methods for routine biological monitoring

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous carcinogenic pollutants emitted in complex mixtures in the ambient air and contribute to the incidence of human cancers. Taking into account all absorption routes, biomonitoring is more relevant than atmospheric measurements to health risk assessment, but knowledge about how to use biomarkers is essential. In this work, urinary elimination kinetic of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene (3-OHBaP) were studied in six electrometallurgy workers after PAHs exposure. Spot samples were collected on pre- and post-shift of the last workday then the whole urinations were separately sampled during the weekend. Non-linear mixed effects models were built to study inter- and intra-individual variability of both urinary metabolites toxicokinetic and investigate diuresis correction ways. Comparison of models confirmed the diuresis correction requirement to perform urinary biomonitoring of pyrene and BaP exposure. Urinary creatinine was found as a better way than specific gravity to normalize urinary concentrations of 1-OHP and as a good compromise for 3-OHBaP. Maximum observed levels were 1.0 µmol/mol creatinine and 0.8nmol/mol creatinine for 1-OHP and 3-OHBaP, respectively. Urinary 1-OHP concentrations on post-shift were higher than pre-shift for each subject, while 3-OHBaP levels were steady or decreased, and maximum urinary excretion rates of 3-OHBaP was delayed compared to 1-OHP. These results were consistent with the sampling time previously proposed for 3-OHBaP analysis, the next morning after exposure. Apparent urinary half-life of 1-OHP and 3-OHBaP ranged from 12.0h to 18.2h and from 4.8h to 49.5h, respectively. Finally, inter-individual variability of 1-OHP half-life seemed linked with the cutaneous absorption extent during exposure, while calculation of 3-OHBaP half-life required the awareness of individual urinary background level. The toxicokinetic modeling described here is an efficient tool which could be used to describe elimination kinetic and determine diuresis correction way for any other urinary biomarkers of chemicals or metals exposure.

Effects of intravenous benzo[a]pyrene dose administration on levels of exposure biomarkers, DNA adducts, and gene expression in rats

The effects of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) administration on biomarkers of exposure and early effects were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats intravenously injected with doses of 0.4, 4, 10, or 40 μmol BaP/kg . Blood, tissues, and excreta were collected 8 and 24 h posttreatment. BaP and several of its metabolites were simultaneously measured in blood, tissues and excreta by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)/fluorescence. DNA adducts of BaP diol epoxide (BaPDE) in lungs were quantified using an ultrasensitive immunoassay with chemiluminescence detection. Expression of selected genes in lungs of treated rats (lung RNA) compared to control rats was also assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. There was a dose-dependent increase in blood, tissue, and excreted levels of BaP metabolites. At 8 and 24 h postinjection, BaP and hydroxyBaP were found in higher concentrations in blood and tissues compared to other analytes. However, diolBaP were excreted in greater amounts in urine and apparently more rapidly than hydroxyBaP. Mean percentages (± SD) of injected dose excreted in urine as 4,5-diolBaP during the 0-8 h and 0-24 h period posttreatment were 0.16 ± 0.027% and 0.14 ± 0.083%, respectively. Corresponding values for 3-OHBaP were 0.0045 ± 0.0009% and 0.026 ± 0.014%. BaP-diones were not detectable in blood, tissues, and excreta; 7,8-diolBaP and BaPtetrol were found to be minor metabolites. There was also a dose-dependent increase in DNA adduct formation in lung. Analysis of gene expression further showed a modulation of Cyp1a1, Cyp1b1, Nqo1, Nrf2, Fos, and Ahr expression at 10- and 40-μmol/kg doses, but not at the lower doses. This study provided a better assessment of the influence of absorbed BaP doses on biological levels of diolBaP and OHBaP exposure biomarkers and association of the latter with early biological alterations, such as DNA adducts and gene expression.