Consensus on the Key Characteristics of Immunotoxic Agents as a Basis for Hazard Identification

Public Health Risks of PFAS-Related Immunotoxicity Are Real

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment and humans worldwide has ignited scientific research, government inquiry, and public concern over numerous adverse health effects associated with PFAS exposure. In this review, we discuss the use of PFAS immunotoxicity data in regulatory and clinical decision-making contexts and question whether recent efforts adequately account for PFAS immunotoxicity in public health decision-making.

RECENT FINDINGS

Government and academic reviews confirm the strongest human evidence for PFAS immunotoxicity is reduced antibody production in response to vaccinations, particularly for tetanus and diphtheria. However, recent events, such as the economic analysis supporting the proposed national primary drinking water regulations and clinical monitoring recommendations, indicate a failure to adequately incorporate these data into regulatory and clinical decisions. To be more protective of public health, we recommend using all relevant immunotoxicity data to inform current and future PFAS-related chemical risk assessment and regulation. Biological measures of immune system effects, such as reduced antibody levels in response to vaccination, should be used as valid and informative markers of health outcomes and risks associated with PFAS exposure. Routine toxicity testing should be expanded to include immunotoxicity evaluations in adult and developing organisms. In addition, clinical recommendations for PFAS-exposed individuals and communities should be revisited and strengthened to provide guidance on incorporating immune system monitoring and other actions that can be taken to protect against adverse health outcomes.

New approach methodologies to enhance human health risk assessment of immunotoxic properties of chemicals - a PARC (Partnership for the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals) project

As a complex system governing and interconnecting numerous functions within the human body, the immune system is unsurprisingly susceptible to the impact of toxic chemicals. Toxicants can influence the immune system through a multitude of mechanisms, resulting in immunosuppression, hypersensitivity, increased risk of autoimmune diseases and cancer development. At present, the regulatory assessment of the immunotoxicity of chemicals relies heavily on rodent models and a limited number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guidelines, which only capture a fraction of potential toxic properties. Due to this limitation, various authorities, including the World Health Organization and the European Food Safety Authority have highlighted the need for the development of novel approaches without the use of animals for immunotoxicity testing of chemicals. In this paper, we present a concise overview of ongoing efforts dedicated to developing and standardizing methodologies for a comprehensive characterization of the immunotoxic effects of chemicals, which are performed under the EU-funded Partnership for the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals (PARC).

Enabling novel paradigms: a biological questions-based approach to human chemical hazard and drug safety assessment

Throughput needs, costs of time and resources, and concerns about the use of animals in hazard and safety assessment studies are fueling a growing interest in adopting new approach methodologies for use in product development and risk assessment. However, current efforts to define "next-generation risk assessment" vary considerably across commercial and regulatory sectors, and an a priori definition of the biological scope of data needed to assess hazards is generally lacking. We propose that the absence of clearly defined questions that can be answered during hazard assessment is the primary barrier to the generation of a paradigm flexible enough to be used across varying product development and approval decision contexts. Herein, we propose a biological questions-based approach (BQBA) for hazard and safety assessment to facilitate fit-for-purpose method selection and more efficient evidence-based decision-making. The key pillars of this novel approach are bioavailability, bioactivity, adversity, and susceptibility. This BQBA is compared with current hazard approaches and is applied in scenarios of varying pathobiological understanding and/or regulatory testing requirements. To further define the paradigm and key questions that allow better prediction and characterization of human health hazard, a multidisciplinary collaboration among stakeholder groups should be initiated.

Ten years of using key characteristics of human carcinogens to organize and evaluate mechanistic evidence in IARC Monographs on the identification of carcinogenic hazards to humans: Patterns and associations

Systematic review and evaluation of mechanistic evidence using the Key Characteristics approach was proposed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2012 and used by the IARC Monographs Working Groups since 2015. Key Characteristics are 10 features of agents known to cause cancer in humans. From 2015 to 2022, a total of 19 Monographs (73 agents combined) used Key Characteristics for cancer hazard classification. We hypothesized that a retrospective analysis of applications of the Key Characteristics approach to cancer hazard classification using heterogenous mechanistic data on diverse agents would be informative for systematic reviews in decision-making. We extracted information on the conclusions, data types, and the role mechanistic data played in the cancer hazard classification from each Monograph. Statistical analyses identified patterns in the use of Key Characteristics, as well as trends and correlations among Key Characteristics, data types, and ultimate decisions. Despite gaps in data for many agents and Key Characteristics, several significant results emerged. Mechanistic data from in vivo animal, in vitro animal, and in vitro human studies were most impactful in concluding that an agent could cause cancer via a Key Characteristic. To exclude the involvement of a Key Characteristic, data from large-scale systematic in vitro testing programs such as ToxCast, were most informative. Overall, increased availability of systemized data streams, such as human in vitro data, would provide the basis for more confident and informed conclusions about both positive and negative associations and inform expert judgments on cancer hazard.

A Multiscale Spatial Modeling Framework for the Germinal Center Response

The germinal center response or reaction (GCR) is a hallmark event of adaptive humoral immunity. Unfolding in the B cell follicles of the secondary lymph organs, a GC culminates in the production of high-affinity antibody-secreting plasma cells along with memory B cells. By interacting with follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, GC B cells exhibit complex spatiotemporal dynamics. Driving the B cell dynamics are the intracellular signal transduction and gene regulatory network that responds to cell surface signaling molecules, cytokines, and chemokines. As our knowledge of the GC continues to expand in depth and in scope, mathematical modeling has become an important tool to help disentangle the intricacy of the GCR and inform novel mechanistic and clinical insights. While the GC has been modeled at different granularities, a multiscale spatial simulation framework - integrating molecular, cellular, and tissue-level responses - is still rare. Here, we report our recent progress toward this end with a hybrid stochastic GC framework developed on the Cellular Potts Model-based CompuCell3D platform. Tellurium is used to simulate the B cell intracellular molecular network comprising NF-κB, FOXO1, MYC, AP4, CXCR4, and BLIMP1 that responds to B cell receptor (BCR) and CD40-mediated signaling. The molecular outputs of the network drive the spatiotemporal behaviors of B cells, including cyclic migration between the dark zone (DZ) and light zone (LZ) via chemotaxis; clonal proliferative bursts, somatic hypermutation, and DNA damage-induced apoptosis in the DZ; and positive selection, apoptosis via a death timer, and emergence of plasma cells in the LZ. Our simulations are able to recapitulate key molecular, cellular, and morphological GC events including B cell population growth, affinity maturation, and clonal dominance. This novel modeling framework provides an open-source, customizable, and multiscale virtual GC simulation platform that enables qualitative and quantitative in silico investigations of a range of mechanic and applied research questions in future.

In Vitro Effects of Cypermethrin and Glyphosate on LPS-Induced Immune Cell Activation

(1) Background: The insecticide cypermethrin (Cypm) and the herbicide glyphosate (Glyp) are among the most widely used pesticides. While the two pesticides have been considered to have low toxicity in mammals, some indication of potential immunotoxicity has emerged. The aim of this work was to investigate in vitro the effects of Cypm and Glyp on bacteria lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune cell activation and of Cypm on 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT)-induced maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). (2) Methods: The release of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-8, the expression of the surface markers CD54 and CD86 in human primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and THP-1 cells were investigated together with CD83, HLA-DR, IL-6, and IL-18 in DCs. (3) Results: While no significant modulation on LPS-induced immune cell activation was observed following Glyp exposure, with only a trend toward an increase at the highest concentration tested, Cypm reduced the responses to LPS and to MBT, supporting a direct immunosuppressive effect. Overall, the present study contributes to our understanding of pesticide-induced immunotoxicity, and the results obtained support evidence showing the immunosuppressive effects of Cypm.

Discussion. Has the human population become a sentinel for the adverse effects of PFAS contamination on wildlife health and endangered species?

Global contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a threat to both human health and the environment, with significant implications for ecological conservation policies. A growing list of peer-reviewed publications indicates that PFAS can harm wildlife health and that the adverse effects associated with PFAS exposure in wildlife are in concordance with human epidemiological studies. The correlation of cross-species data supports a unique perspective that humans can be regarded as a sentinel for PFAS effects in other species. The health harms due to PFAS are potentially most concerning for populations of endangered and threatened species that are simultaneously exposed to PFAS and other toxic pollutants, and also face threats to their survival due to habitat loss, degradation of ecosystems, and over-harvesting. Human epidemiological studies on the PFAS doses associated with health harm present a rich source of information about potential impacts on wildlife health due to PFAS. Our analysis suggests that national and international efforts to restrict the discharges of PFAS into the environment and to clean up PFAS-contaminated sites present an opportunity to protect wildlife from chemical pollution and to advance species conservation worldwide.

Prepandemic personal concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other pollutants: Specific and combined effects on the incidence of COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the specific and combined effects of personal concentrations of some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and chemical elements -measured in individuals' blood several years before the pandemic- on the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease in the general population.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective cohort study in 240 individuals from the general population of Barcelona. PFAS, other POPs, and chemical elements were measured in plasma, serum, and whole blood samples, respectively, collected in 2016-2017. PFAS were analyzed by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected by rRT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs and/or antibody serology in blood samples collected in 2020-2021.

RESULTS

No individual PFAS nor their mixtures were significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity or COVID-19 disease. Previously identified mixtures of POPs and elements (Porta et al., 2023) remained significantly associated with seropositivity and COVID-19 when adjusted for PFAS (all OR > 4 or p < 0.05). Nine chemicals comprised mixtures associated with COVID-19: thallium, ruthenium, lead, benzo[b]fluoranthene, DDD, other DDT-related compounds, manganese, tantalum, and aluminium. And nine chemicals comprised the mixtures more consistently associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity: thallium, ruthenium, lead, benzo[b]fluoranthene, DDD, gold, and (protectively) selenium, indium, and iron.

CONCLUSIONS

The PFAS studied were not associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity or COVID-19. The results confirm the associations between personal blood concentrations of some POPs and chemical elements and the risk of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in what remains the only prospective and population-based cohort study on the topic. Mixtures of POPs and chemical elements may contribute to explain the heterogeneity in the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in the general population.

A vision for safer food contact materials: Public health concerns as drivers for improved testing

Food contact materials (FCMs) and food contact articles are ubiquitous in today's globalized food system. Chemicals migrate from FCMs into foodstuffs, so called food contact chemicals (FCCs), but current regulatory requirements do not sufficiently protect public health from hazardous FCCs because only individual substances used to make FCMs are tested and mostly only for genotoxicity while endocrine disruption and other hazard properties are disregarded. Indeed, FCMs are a known source of a wide range of hazardous chemicals, and they likely contribute to highly prevalent non-communicable diseases. FCMs can also include non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), which often are unknown and therefore not subject to risk assessment. To address these important shortcomings, we outline how the safety of FCMs may be improved by (1) testing the overall migrate, including (unknown) NIAS, of finished food contact articles, and (2) expanding toxicological testing beyond genotoxicity to multiple endpoints associated with non-communicable diseases relevant to human health. To identify mechanistic endpoints for testing, we group chronic health outcomes associated with chemical exposure into Six Clusters of Disease (SCOD) and we propose that finished food contact articles should be tested for their impacts on these SCOD. Research should focus on developing robust, relevant, and sensitive in-vitro assays based on mechanistic information linked to the SCOD, e.g., through Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) or Key Characteristics of Toxicants. Implementing this vision will improve prevention of chronic diseases that are associated with hazardous chemical exposures, including from FCMs.

Epigenome-wide association studies of allergic disease and the environment

The epigenome is at the intersection of the environment, genotype, and cellular response. DNA methylation of cytosine nucleotides, the most studied epigenetic modification, has been systematically evaluated in human studies by using untargeted epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) and shown to be both sensitive to environmental exposures and associated with allergic diseases. In this narrative review, we summarize findings from key EWASs previously conducted on this topic; interpret results from recent studies; and discuss the strengths, challenges, and opportunities regarding epigenetics research on the environment-allergy relationship. The majority of these EWASs have systematically investigated select environmental exposures during the prenatal and early childhood periods and allergy-associated epigenetic changes in leukocyte-isolated DNA and more recently in nasal cells. Overall, many studies have found consistent DNA methylation associations across cohorts for certain exposures, such as smoking (eg, aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor gene [AHRR] gene), and allergic diseases (eg, EPX gene). We recommend the integration of both environmental exposures and allergy or asthma within long-term prospective designs to strengthen causality as well as biomarker development. Future studies should collect paired target tissues to examine compartment-specific epigenetic responses, incorporate genetic influences in DNA methylation (methylation quantitative trait locus), replicate findings across diverse populations, and carefully interpret epigenetic signatures from bulk, target tissue or isolated cells.

Ten Years of Using Key Characteristics of Human Carcinogens to Organize and Evaluate Mechanistic Evidence in IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans: Patterns and Associations

Systematic review and evaluation of the mechanistic evidence only recently been instituted in cancer hazard identification step of decision-making. One example of organizing and evaluating mechanistic evidence is the Key Characteristics approach of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans. The Key Characteristics of Human Carcinogens were proposed almost 10 years ago and have been used in every IARC Monograph since 2015. We investigated the patterns and associations in the use of Key Characteristics by the independent expert Working Groups. We examined 19 Monographs (2015-2022) that evaluated 73 agents. We extracted information on the conclusions by each Working Group on the strength of evidence for agent-Key Characteristic combinations, data types that were available for decisions, and the role mechanistic data played in the final cancer hazard classification. We conducted both descriptive and association analyses within and across data types. We found that IARC Working Groups were cautious when evaluating mechanistic evidence: for only ∼13% of the agents was strong evidence assigned for any Key Characteristic. Genotoxicity and cell proliferation were most data-rich, while little evidence was available for DNA repair and immortalization Key Characteristics. Analysis of the associations among Key Characteristics revealed that only chemical's metabolic activation was significantly co-occurring with genotoxicity and cell proliferation/death. Evidence from exposed humans was limited, while mechanistic evidence from rodent studies in vivo was often available. Only genotoxicity and cell proliferation/death were strongly associated with decisions on whether mechanistic data was impactful on the final cancer hazard classification. The practice of using the Key Characteristics approach is now well-established at IARC Monographs and other government agencies and the analyses presented herein will inform the future use of mechanistic evidence in regulatory decision-making.

Individual blood concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and chemical elements, and COVID-19: A prospective cohort study in Barcelona

BACKGROUND

There is wide, largely unexplained heterogeneity in immunological and clinical responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Numerous environmental chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and chemical elements (including some metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements, and minority elements), are immunomodulatory and cause a range of adverse clinical events. There are no prospective studies on the effects of such substances on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of blood concentrations of POPs and elements measured several years before the pandemic on the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in individuals from the general population.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective cohort study in 154 individuals from the general population of Barcelona. POPs and elements were measured in blood samples collected in 2016-2017. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected by rRT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs and/or by antibody serology using eighteen isotype-antigen combinations measured in blood samples collected in 2020-2021. We analyzed the associations between concentrations of the contaminants and SARS-CoV-2 infection and development of COVID-19, taking into account personal habits and living conditions during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Several historically prevalent POPs, as well as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and zinc, were not associated with COVID-19, nor with SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, DDE (adjusted OR = 5.0 [95% CI: 1.2-21]), lead (3.9 [1.0-15]), thallium (3.4 [1.0-11]), and ruthenium (5.0 [1.8-14]) were associated with COVID-19, as were tantalum, benzo(b)fluoranthene, DDD, and manganese. Thallium (3.8 [1.6-8.9]), and ruthenium (2.9 [1.3-6.7]) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and so were lead, gold, and (protectively) iron and selenium. We identified mixtures of up to five substances from several chemical groups, with all substances independently associated to the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide the first prospective and population-based evidence of an association between individual concentrations of some contaminants and COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection. POPs and elements may contribute to explain the heterogeneity in the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in the general population. If the associations are confirmed as causal, means are available to mitigate the corresponding risks.

A systematic evidence map of chronic inflammation and immunosuppression related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure

BACKGROUND

The ability to induce chronic inflammation and immunosuppression are two key characteristics of carcinogens and important forms of immunotoxicity. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) evaluated the immunotoxicity of two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), in 2016. However, the potential pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of other PFASs remain largely uncharacterized.

METHODS

We developed an expanded set of search terms pertaining to the chronic inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of PFASs based on those of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and NTP. To confirm searching effectiveness and scope, we compared our search term results with those of IARC and NTP for both PFASs and two other known carcinogens, chromium (VI) and benzene. Systematic evidence maps (SEMs) were also produced using Tableau to visualize the distribution of study numbers and types reporting immunotoxic effects and specific biomarkers elicited by PFAS exposures.

RESULTS

In total, 1155 PFAS studies were retrieved, of which 321 qualified for inclusion in our dataset. Using our search terms, we identified a greater number of relevant studies than those obtained using IARC and NTP's search terms. From the SEM findings, increased cytokine production strengthened an association between PFAS exposure and chronic inflammation, and decreased B-cell activation and altered levels of T-cell subtypes and immunoglobulins confirmed PFAS-induced immunosuppression.

CONCLUSION

Our SEM findings confirm that several PFASs commonly found in both in the environment, including those that are lesser-known, may induce immunosuppression and chronic inflammation, two key characteristics of carcinogens. This approach, including development of search terms, study screening process, data coding, and evidence mapping visualizations, can be applied to other key characteristics of chemical carcinogens.

Consideration of pathways for immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

BACKGROUND

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of public health concern, because of their ubiquitous and extremely persistent occurrence, and depending on their structure, their bio-accumulative, mobile and toxic properties. Human health effects associated with exposure to PFAS include adverse effects on the immune system. In 2020, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) defined adverse effects on the immune system as the most critical effect for human health risk assessment, based on reduced antibody responses to childhood vaccines and similar effects observed in experimental animal studies. Likewise, the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) considers PFAS-induced immunotoxicity, especially in children, as the critical effect for risk assessment. However, the mechanisms by which antibody concentrations are impacted are not completely understood. Furthermore, other targets of the immune system functions have been reported in the literature.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to explore PFAS-associated immune-related effects. This includes, relevant mechanisms that may underlie the observed effects on the immune system, immunosuppression as well as immunoenhancement, such as i) modulation of cell signalling and nuclear receptors, such as NF-κB and PPARs; ii) alteration of calcium signalling and homoeostasis in immune cells; iii) modulation of immune cell populations; iv) oxidative stress and v) impact on fatty acid metabolism & secondary effects on the immune system.

METHODS

A literature research was conducted using three databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus), which were searched in July 2021 for relevant studies published in the time frame from 2018 to 2021. In total, 487 publications were identified as potentially eligible and following expert-based judgement, articles relevant for mechanisms of PFAS induced immunotoxicity are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, we show that there is substantial evidence from both in vitro and in vivo experimental as well as epidemiological studies, supporting that various PFAS, not only PFOA and PFOS, affect multiple aspects of the immune system. Timing of exposure is critical, because the developing immune system is especially vulnerable to toxic insults, resulting in a higher risk of particularly adverse immune effects but also other organs later in life.