Polyclonal anti-thymocyte globulins for the prophylaxis of graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell or bone marrow transplantation in adults.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is an established treatment for many malignant and non-malignant haematological disorders. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a condition frequently occurring after an allogeneic SCT, is the result of host tissues being attacked by donor immune cells. It affects more than half of the patients after transplant either as acute and or chronic GVHD. One strategy for the prevention of GVHD is the administration of anti-thymocyte globulins (ATGs), a set of polyclonal antibodies directed against a variety of immune cell epitopes, leading to immunosuppression and immunomodulation. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ATG used for the prevention of GVHD in patients undergoing allogeneic SCT with regard to overall survival, incidence and severity of acute and chronic GVHD, incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality, graft failure and adverse events. SEARCH METHODS: For this update we searched the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, trial registers and conference proceedings on the 18th November 2022 along with reference checking and contacting study authors to identify additional studies. We did not apply language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of ATG on GVHD prophylaxis in adults suffering from haematological diseases and undergoing allogeneic SCT. The selection criteria were modified from the previous version of this review. Paediatric studies and studies where patients aged < 18 years constituted more than 20 % of the total number were excluded. Treatment arms had to differ only in the addition of ATG to the standard GVHD prophylaxis regimen. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological procedures expected by the Cochrane Collaboration for data collection, extraction and analyses. MAIN RESULTS: For this update we included seven new RCTs, leading to a total of ten studies investigating 1413 participants. All patients had a haematological condition which warranted an allogeneic SCT. The risk of bias was estimated as low for seven and unclear for three studies. ATG probably has little or no influence on overall survival (HR (hazard ratio) 0.93 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.77 to 1.13, nine studies, n = 1249, moderate-certainty evidence)). Estimated absolute effect: 430 surviving people per 1000 people not receiving ATG compared to 456 people surviving per 1000 people receiving the intervention (95 % CI 385 to 522 per 1000 people). ATG results in a reduction in acute GVHD II to IV with relative risk (RR) 0.68 (95 % CI 0.60 to 0.79, 10 studies, n = 1413, high-certainty evidence). Estimated absolute effect: 418 acute GVHD II to IV per 1000 people not receiving ATG compared to 285 per 1000 people receiving the intervention (95 % CI 251 to 331 per 1000 people). Addition of ATG results in a reduction of overall chronic GvHD with a RR of 0.53 (95 % CI 0.45 to 0.61, eight studies, n = 1273, high-certainty evidence). Estimated absolute effect: 506 chronic GVHD per 1000 people not receiving ATG compared to 268 per 1000 people receiving the intervention (95 % CI 228 to 369 per 1000 people). Further data on severe acute GVHD and extensive chronic GVHD are available in the manuscript. ATG probably slightly increases the incidence of relapse with a RR of 1.21 (95 % CI 0.99 to 1.49, eight studies,  n =1315, moderate-certainty evidence). Non relapse mortality is probably slightly or not affected by ATG with an HR of 0.86 (95 % CI 0.67 to 1.11, nine studies, n=1370, moderate-certainty evidence).   ATG prophylaxis may result in no increase in graft failure with a RR of 1.55 (95 % CI 0.54 to 4.44, eight studies, n = 1240, low-certainty evidence).  Adverse events could not be analysed due to the serious heterogeneity in the reporting between the studies, which limited comparability (moderate-certainty evidence) and are reported in a descriptive manner.   Subgroup analyses on ATG types, doses and donor type are available in the manuscript. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review suggests that the addition of ATG during allogeneic SCT probably has little or no influence on overall survival. ATG results in a reduction in the incidence and severity of acute and chronic GvHD. ATG intervention probably slightly increases the incidence of relapse and probably does not affect the non relapse mortality. Graft failure may not be affected by ATG prophylaxis. Analysis of data on adverse events was reported in a narrative manner. A limitation for the analysis was the imprecision in reporting between the studies thereby reducing the confidence in the certainty of evidence.

Pharmacokinetics explain in vivo/in vitro discrepancies of carcinogen-induced gene expression alterations in rat liver and cultivated hepatocytes.

Cultivated hepatocytes represent a well-established in vitro system. However, the applicability of hepatocytes in toxicogenomics is still controversially discussed. Recently, an in vivo/in vitro discrepancy has been described, whereby the non-genotoxic rat liver carcinogen methapyrilene alters the expression of the metabolizing genes SULT1A1 and ABAT, as well as the DNA damage response gene GADD34 in vitro, but not in vivo. If the collagen sandwich cultures of hepatocytes really produce false-positive data, this would compromise its application in toxicogenomics. To revisit the putative in vivo/in vitro discrepancy, we first analyzed and modeled methapyrilene concentrations in the portal vein of rats. The relatively short half-life of 2.8 h implies a rapid decrease in orally administered methapyrilene in vivo below concentrations that can cause gene expression alterations. This corresponded to the time-dependent alteration levels of GADD34, ABAT and SULT1A1 RNA in the liver: RNA levels are altered 1, 6 and 12 h after methapyrilene administration, but return to control levels after 24 and 72 h. In contrast, methapyrilene concentrations in the culture medium supernatant of primary rat hepatocyte cultures decreased slowly. This explains why GADD34, ABAT and SULT1A1 were still deregulated after 24 h exposure in vitro, but not in vivo. It should also be considered that the earliest analyzed time point in the previous in vivo studies was 24 h after methapyrilene administration. In conclusion, previously observed in vitro/in vivo discrepancy can be explained by different pharmacokinetics present in vitro and in vivo. When the in vivo half-life is short, levels of some initially altered genes may have returned to control levels already 24 h after administration.

Comparison of genotoxicant-modified transcriptomic responses in conventional and epigenetically stabilized primary rat hepatocytes with in vivo rat liver data.

The concept of mechanistic toxicogenomics implies that compound-induced changes in gene expression profiles provide valuable information about their mode of action. A growing number of research groups have presented evidence that whole-genome gene expression profiling techniques might be used as tools for in vivo and in vitro generation of gene signatures and elucidation of molecular mechanisms after exposure to toxic compounds. An important issue to be investigated is the in vivo relevance of in vitro-obtained data. In the current study, we compare the gene expression profiles generated in vitro, after exposing conventional and epigenetically stabilized primary rat hepatocytes to well-known genotoxic hepatocarcinogens (aflatoxin B1, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and 2-nitrofluorene) with those derived in vivo after oral exposure of rats to these compounds. Similar statistical tools were applied on both sets of data. The major molecular pathways affected in the in vivo setting were DNA damage, detoxification and cell survival response, as previously described. In the conventional hepatocyte cultures, two of the three genotoxicants showed quite similar responses as in vivo with respect to these pathways. The third compound (2-nitrofluorene) revealed in vitro response which was not observed in vivo. In the epigenetically stabilized hepatocytes, in contrast to what was expected, the responses were less relevant for the in vivo situation. This study highlights the importance of in vitro/in vivo comparison of data that are generated using in vitro models and shows that conventional primary rat hepatocyte cultures represent an appropriate in vitro model to retrieve mechanistic information on the exposure to genotoxicants.

Comparison of hepatocarcinogen-induced gene expression profiles in conventional primary rat hepatocytes with in vivo rat liver.

At present, substantial efforts are focused on the development of in vitro assays coupled with "omics" technologies for the identification of carcinogenic substances as an alternative to the classical 2-year rodent carcinogenicity bioassay. A prerequisite for the eventual regulatory acceptance of such assays, however, is the in vivo relevance of the observed in vitro findings. In the current study, hepatocarcinogen-induced gene expression profiles generated after the exposure of conventional cultures of primary rat hepatocytes to three non-genotoxic carcinogens (methapyrilene hydrochloride, piperonyl butoxide, and Wy-14643), three genotoxic carcinogens (aflatoxin B1, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, and 2-nitrofluorene), and two non-carcinogens (nifedipine and clonidine) are compared with previously obtained in vivo data after oral administration for up to 14 days of the same hepatocarcinogens to rats. In addition to the comparison of deregulated genes and functions per compound between in vivo and in vitro models, the major discriminating cellular pathways found in vivo in livers of exposed rats were examined for deregulation in vitro. Further, in vivo-derived gene signatures for the identification of genotoxic versus non-genotoxic carcinogens are used to classify in vitro-tested hepatocarcinogens and non-carcinogens. In the primary hepatocyte cultures, two out of the three tested genotoxic carcinogens mimicked the in vivo-relevant DNA damage response and were correctly assessed. Exposure to the non-genotoxic hepatocarcinogens, however, triggered a relatively weak response in the in vitro system, with no clear similarities to in vivo. This study contributes to the further optimization of toxicogenomics predictive tools when applied in in vitro settings.

Transcriptomic alterations induced by Ochratoxin A in rat and human renal proximal tubular in vitro models and comparison to a rat in vivo model.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widely studied compound due to its role in renal toxicity and carcinogenicity. However, there is still no consensus on the exact mechanisms of toxicity or carcinogenicity. In the current study, we analysed the effect of OTA on three human renal proximal tubular models (human primary, RPTEC/TERT1 and HK-2 cells) and two rat renal proximal tubular models (rat primary and NRK-52E cells). Global transcriptomics analysis at two exposure times was performed to generate a set of 756 OTA sensitive genes. This gene set was then compared in more detail across all models and additionally to a rat in vivo renal cortex model. The results demonstrate a well-conserved response across all models. OTA resulted in deregulation of a number of pathways including cytoskeleton, nucleosome regulation, translation, transcription, ubiquitination and cell cycle pathways. Interestingly, the oxidative stress activated Nrf2 pathway was not enriched. These results point to an epigenetic action of OTA, perhaps initiated by actin binding as the actin remodelling gene, advillin was the highest up-regulated in all models. The largest model differences were observed between the human and the rat in vitro models. However, since the human in vitro models were more similar to the rat in vivo model, it is more likely that these differences are model-specific rather than species-specific per se. This study demonstrates the usefulness of in vitro cell culture models combined with transcriptomic analysis for the investigation of mechanisms of toxicity and carcinogenicity. In addition, these results provide further evidence supporting a non-genotoxic mechanism of OTA-induced carcinogenicity.

Molecular characterization of preneoplastic lesions provides insight on the development of renal tumors.

Kidneys are the second most frequent site for chemically induced cancers in rats. However, there is still limited information on direct effects of carcinogens on pathways involved in the development of kidney tumors. Since transformed tumor cells have different characteristics than their cell of origin, it was hypothesized that healthy tissue and progressing stages of preneoplastic lesions are differentially influenced by chemical carcinogens. To elucidate this question, TSC2(-/-) Eker rats were gavaged with genotoxic aristolochic acid or nongenotoxic ochratoxin A for 3 and 6 months, respectively. Histopathology and cell proliferation analysis demonstrated a compound- and sex-specific onset of preneoplastic lesions. In contrast, comparable gene expression profiles of laser-microdissected preneoplastic lesions from carcinogen-treated and control rats, including reduced expression of genes involved in carcinogen uptake and metabolism, point to a compound-independent lesion progression. Gene expression profiles and additional immunostaining suggested that clonal expansion of renal lesions appears primarily driven by disturbed mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 and mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 pathway regulation. Finally, prolonged carcinogen exposure resulted in only marginal gene expression changes in tubules with normal morphology, indicating that some tubules may have adapted to the treatment. Taken together, these findings indicate that the final outcome of in vivo carcinogenicity studies is primarily determined by time-restricted initial events, while lesion progression may be a compound-independent process, involving deregulated mTOR signaling in the Eker rat model.

Application of toxicogenomics to study mechanisms of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity.

Specific genotoxic events such as gene mutations and/or chromosome damage are considered hallmarks of cancer. The genotoxicity testing battery enables relatively simple, rapid and inexpensive hazard identification, namely by assessing a chemical's ability to cause genetic damage in cells. In addition, the 2-year rodent carcinogenicity bioassay provides an assessment of a risk associated with the chemical to develop cancer in animals. Although the link between genotoxicity and carcinogenicity is well documented, this relationship is complicated due to the impact of non-genotoxic mechanisms of carcinogenesis and by character of the in vitro genotoxicity assays and specific endpoints making the interpretation of test results in light of human risk and relevance difficult. In particular, the specificity of test results has been questioned. Therefore, the development of novel scientific approaches bridging genotoxicity and carcinogenicity testing via understanding underlying mechanisms is extremely important for facilitating cancer risk assessment. In this respect, toxicogenomics approaches are considered promising as these have the potential of providing generic insight in molecular pathway responses. The goal of this report thus is to review recent progress in the development and application of toxicogenomics to the derivation of genomic biomarkers associated with mechanisms of genotoxicity and carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the potential for application of genomic approaches to hazard identification and risk assessment is explored.

Inter-laboratory comparison of human renal proximal tubule (HK-2) transcriptome alterations due to Cyclosporine A exposure and medium exhaustion.

There is an acknowledged need to promote and further develop in vitro techniques in order to achieve the goal of improved risk assessment of chemicals and pharmaceuticals to humans. The EU 6th framework project "PREDICTOMICS" was established in order to contribute to the further development of in vitro toxicology, with a particular focus on emerging techniques including toxicogenomics. DNA microarray technology is being used more frequently in the in vitro field, however, only very few studies have assessed the reproducibility of this technique with respect to in vitro toxicology. To this end we conducted an interlaboratory comparison to test the reproducibility of transcriptomic changes induced by the immunosuppressive agent, Cyclosporine A (CsA) on the human renal proximal tubular cell line, HK-2 cell. Four European laboratories took part in this study. Under standardised conditions, each laboratory treated HK-2 cells with 5microM CsA for 12 and 48h. RNA was isolated and hybridised to Affymetrix HGU-133 plus two arrays at three different sites. Analysis of the transcription profiles demonstrated that one laboratory clustered away from the other laboratories, potentially due to an inclusion of a trypsinisation step by this laboratory. Once the genes responsible for this separate clustering were removed all laboratories showed similar expression profiles. There was a major impact of time since feed, due to medium exhaustion in the 48h arrays compared to the 12h arrays, regardless of CsA treatment. Biological processes including general vesicle transport, amino acid metabolism, amino acid transport and amino acid biosynthesis were over-represented due to time since feed, while cell cycle, DNA replication, mitosis and DNA metabolism were under-represented. CsA responsive genes were involved in cell cycle, the p53 pathway and Wnt signaling. Additionally there was an overlap of differentially expressed genes due to CsA and medium exhaustion which is most likely due to CsA induced glycolysis. The glucose deprivation dependent genes HspA5 and GP96 and the Hsp70 chaperones DNAJ/Hsp40, DNAJ/HspB9, DNAJ/HspC3 DNAJ/HspC10 were induced by both CsA and medium exhaustion. We conclude that under standardised conditions the application of Affymetrix DNA microarrays to in vitro toxiciological studies are satisfactorily reproducible. However, confounding factors such as medium exhaustion must also be considered in such analyses.

Carcinogen-specific gene expression profiles in short-term treated Eker and wild-type rats indicative of pathways involved in renal tumorigenesis.

Eker rats heterozygous for a dominant germline mutation in the tuberous sclerosis 2 (Tsc2) tumor suppressor gene were used as a model to study renal carcinogenesis. Eker and corresponding wild-type rats were exposed to genotoxic aristolochic acid (AA) or non-genotoxic ochratoxin A (OTA) to elucidate early carcinogen-specific gene expression changes and to test whether Eker rats are more sensitive to carcinogen-induced changes in gene expression. Male Eker and wild-type rats were gavaged daily with AA (10 mg/kg body weight) or OTA (210 microg/kg body weight). After 1, 3, 7, and 14 days of exposure, renal histopathology, tubular cell proliferation, and Affymetrix gene expression profiles from renal cortex/outer medulla were analyzed. AA-treated Eker and wild-type rats were qualitatively comparable in all variables assessed, suggesting a Tsc2-independent mechanism of action. OTA treatment resulted in slightly increased cortical pathology and significantly elevated cell proliferation in both strains, although Eker rats were more sensitive. Deregulated genes involved in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT-Tsc2-mammalian target of rapamycin signaling, among other important genes prominent in tumorigenesis, in conjunction with the enhanced cell proliferation and presence of preneoplastic lesions suggested involvement of Tsc2 in OTA-mediated toxicity and carcinogenicity, especially as deregulation of genes involved in this pathway was more prominent in the Tsc2 mutant Eker rat.

Prediction of a carcinogenic potential of rat hepatocarcinogens using toxicogenomics analysis of short-term in vivo studies.

The carcinogenic potential of chemicals is currently evaluated with rodent life-time bioassays, which are time consuming, and expensive with respect to cost, number of animals and amount of compound required. Since the results of these 2-year bioassays are not known until quite late during development of new chemical entities, and since the short-term test battery to test for genotoxicity, a characteristic of genotoxic carcinogens, is hampered by low specificity, the identification of early biomarkers for carcinogenicity would be a big step forward. Using gene expression profiles from the livers of rats treated up to 14 days with genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens we previously identified characteristic gene expression profiles for these two groups of carcinogens. We have now added expression profiles from further hepatocarcinogens and from non-carcinogens the latter serving as control profiles. We used these profiles to extract biomarkers discriminating genotoxic from non-genotoxic carcinogens and to calculate classifiers based on the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. These classifiers then predicted a set of independent validation compound profiles with up to 88% accuracy, depending on the marker gene set. We would like to present this study as proof of the concept that a classification of carcinogens based on short-term studies may be feasible.

The carcinoGENOMICS project: critical selection of model compounds for the development of omics-based in vitro carcinogenicity screening assays.

Recent changes in the European legislation of chemical-related substances have forced the scientific community to speed up the search for alternative methods that could partly or fully replace animal experimentation. The Sixth Framework Program project carcinoGENOMICS was specifically raised to develop omics-based in vitro screens for testing the carcinogenic potential of chemical compounds in a pan-European context. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the complexity of choosing suitable reference compounds used for creating and fine-tuning the in vitro carcinogenicity assays. First, a number of solid criteria for the selection of the model compounds are defined. Secondly, the strategy followed, including resources consulted, is described and the selected compounds are briefly illustrated. Finally, limitations and problems encountered during the selection procedure are discussed. Since selecting an appropriate set of chemicals is a frequent impediment in the early stages of similar research projects, the information provided in this paper might be extremely valuable.

Meeting report: Validation of toxicogenomics-based test systems: ECVAM-ICCVAM/NICEATM considerations for regulatory use.

This is the report of the first workshop "Validation of Toxicogenomics-Based Test Systems" held 11-12 December 2003 in Ispra, Italy. The workshop was hosted by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) and organized jointly by ECVAM, the U.S. Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM). The primary aim of the workshop was for participants to discuss and define principles applicable to the validation of toxicogenomics platforms as well as validation of specific toxicologic test methods that incorporate toxicogenomics technologies. The workshop was viewed as an opportunity for initiating a dialogue between technologic experts, regulators, and the principal validation bodies and for identifying those factors to which the validation process would be applicable. It was felt that to do so now, as the technology is evolving and associated challenges are identified, would be a basis for the future validation of the technology when it reaches the appropriate stage. Because of the complexity of the issue, different aspects of the validation of toxicogenomics-based test methods were covered. The three focus areas include a) biologic validation of toxicogenomics-based test methods for regulatory decision making, b) technical and bioinformatics aspects related to validation, and c) validation issues as they relate to regulatory acceptance and use of toxicogenomics-based test methods. In this report we summarize the discussions and describe in detail the recommendations for future direction and priorities.

Studies on the goitrogenic mechanism of action of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylthiourea.

N,N,N',N'-Tetramethylthiourea (TMTU) is a rat goitrogen inducing thyroid hyperplasia, hypertrophy, and tumor formation. Little is known about the exact underlying mechanism of action. As thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and type I iodothyronine deiodinase (ID-I) have been established as targets of goitrogenic thiourea derivatives, we investigated interactions of TMTU with target enzymes using a partially purified fraction from hog thyroids or solubilized hog thyroid microsomes and 10,000g supernatant from rat liver homogenate, respectively, as enzyme sources. For comparison, comprehensively characterized goitrogenic thiourea derivatives were studied as well. In contrast to propylthiouracil (PTU), and like ethylenethiourea (ETU), TMTU only marginally affected TPO-catalyzed oxidation of guaiacol. TMTU, like ETU, concentration-dependently suppressed TPO-catalyzed iodine formation with concomitant oxidative metabolism. Suppression ceased upon consumption of thiourea derivatives, the rate of the reappearing iodine formation was similar to that of controls. TMTU, like ETU, also suppressed non-enzymatic and TPO-catalyzed monoiodination of l-tyrosine with a stoichiometry of 2:1, i.e., one molecule of thiourea derivative suppressed two times monoiodination. TMTU and ETU were unable to irreversibly inhibit TPO. In contrast to PTU, TMTU did not inhibit ID-I. These findings provide evidence that TMTU interferes with thyroid hormone synthesis at the level of iodination and demonstrate a metabolic route for the oxidative detoxification of TMTU in the thyroid suggesting that low-level or intermittent exposure to TMTU would have only minimal effects on thyroid hormone synthesis. Finally, it can be concluded that meaningful toxicological studies on TPO inhibition can be performed without a need for highly purified TPO.

Induction of chondro-, osteo- and adipogenesis in embryonic stem cells by bone morphogenetic protein-2: effect of cofactors on differentiating lineages.

BACKGROUND: Recently, tissue engineering has merged with stem cell technology with interest to develop new sources of transplantable material for injury or disease treatment. Eminently interesting, are bone and joint injuries/disorders because of the low self-regenerating capacity of the matrix secreting cells, particularly chondrocytes. ES cells have the unlimited capacity to self-renew and maintain their pluripotency in culture. Upon induction of various signals they will then differentiate into distinctive cell types such as neurons, cardiomyocytes and osteoblasts. RESULTS: We present here that BMP-2 can drive ES cells to the cartilage, osteoblast or adipogenic fate depending on supplementary co-factors. TGFbeta1, insulin and ascorbic acid were identified as signals that together with BMP-2 induce a chondrocytic phenotype that is characterized by increased expression of cartilage marker genes in a timely co-ordinated fashion. Expression of collagen type IIB and aggrecan, indicative of a fully mature state, continuously ascend until reaching a peak at day 32 of culture to approximately 80-fold over control values. Sox9 and scleraxis, cartilage specific transcription factors, are highly expressed at very early stages and show decreased expression over the time course of EB differentiation. Some smaller proteoglycans, such as decorin and biglycan, are expressed at earlier stages. Overall, proteoglycan biosynthesis is up-regulated 7-fold in response to the supplements added. BMP-2 induced chondrocytes undergo hypertrophy and begin to alter their expression profile towards osteoblasts. Supplying mineralization factors such as beta-glycerophosphate and vitamin D3 with the culture medium can facilitate this process. Moreover, gene expression studies show that adipocytes can also differentiate from BMP-2 treated ES cells. CONCLUSIONS: Ultimately, we have found that ES cells can be successfully triggered to differentiate into chondrocyte-like cells, which can further alter their fate to become hypertrophic, and adipocytes. Compared with previous reports using a brief BMP-2 supplementation early in differentiation, prolonged exposure increased chondrogenic output, while supplementation with insulin and ascorbic acid prevented dedifferentiation. These results provide a foundation for the use of ES cells as a potential therapy in joint injury and disease.

Comparison of the expression profiles induced by genotoxic and nongenotoxic carcinogens in rat liver.

Application of recently developed gene expression techniques using microarrays in toxicological studies (toxicogenomics) facilitate the interpretation of a toxic compound's mode of action and may also allow the prediction of selected toxic effects based on gene expression changes. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated whether carcinogens at doses known to induce liver tumors in the 2-year rat bioassay deregulate characteristic sets of genes in a short term in vivo study and whether these deregulated genes represent defined biological pathways. Male Wistar rats were dosed with the four nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens methapyrilene (MPy, 60 mg/kg/day), diethylstilbestrol (DES, 10 mg/kg/day), Wy-14643 (Wy, 60 mg/kg/day), and piperonylbutoxide (PBO, 1200 mg/kg/day). After 1, 3, 7, and 14 days, the livers were taken for histopathological evaluation and for analysis of the gene expression profiles on Affymetrix RG_U34A arrays. The expression profile of the four nongenotoxic carcinogens were compared to the profiles of the four genotoxic carcinogens 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and aflatoxin B1 (AB1) from a similar study reported previously. By using statistical and clustering tools characteristically deregulated genes were extracted and functionally classified. Distinct cellular pathways were affected by the nongenotoxic carcinogens compared to the genotoxic carcinogens which at least partly correlated with the two-stage model of carcinogenesis. Characteristic to genotoxic carcinogens were a DNA damage response and the activation of proliferative and survival signaling. Nongenotoxic carcinogens showed responses to oxidative DNA or protein damage, as well as cell cycle progression and signs of regeneration. Many of the gene alterations found with the nongenotoxic carcinogens imply compound-specific mechanisms. Although neither a single gene nor a single pathway will be sufficient to discriminate the two classes of carcinogens, it became evident that combinations of pathway-associated gene expression profiles may be used to predict a genotoxic or nongenotoxic carcinogenic potential of a compound in short-term studies.

Evaluation of phototoxic and photoallergic potentials of 13 compounds by different in vitro and in vivo methods.

Phototoxic side effects of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products are of increasing concern for patients, dermatologists and the chemical industry. Moreover, the need of new chemicals and drugs puts pressure on pre-clinical test methods for side effects, especially interactive adverse-effects with UV-light. So, the predictive potential of different established test methods, which are used regularly in our departments in order to detect the phototoxic potential of chemicals, were analyzed. Namely the fibroblast 3T3 test, the photo hen's egg test, a guinea pig test for measuring acute photoreactions, and a modified Local Lymph Node Assay, the Integrated Model for the Differentiation of Skin Reactions. Various agents with different photoreactive potential were tested: quinolones like Bay y 3118, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, lomefloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, sparfloxacin, as well as promethazine, chlorpromazine, 8-methoxypsoralen and olaquindox serving as control. Special emphasis was taken to evaluate the capability of the employed test procedures to predict phototoxic side effects in patients. Following our results, both in vitro assays were useful tools to detect photoirritancy while the photoallergic potentials of tested compounds were exclusively detected by an in vivo assay. As long as no in vitro model for photoallergy is available, the UV-IMDS should be considered to evaluate photoallergic properties of a supposed photoreactive agent.

The SEURAT-1 approach towards animal free human safety assessment.

SEURAT-1 is a European public-private research consortium that is working towards animal-free testing of chemical compounds and the highest level of consumer protection. A research strategy was formulated based on the guiding principle to adopt a toxicological mode-of-action framework to describe how any substance may adversely affect human health.The proof of the initiative will be in demonstrating the applicability of the concepts on which SEURAT-1 is built on three levels:(i) Theoretical prototypes for adverse outcome pathways are formulated based on knowledge already available in the scientific literature on investigating the toxicological mode-of-actions leading to adverse outcomes (addressing mainly liver toxicity);(ii)adverse outcome pathway descriptions are used as a guide for the formulation of case studies to further elucidate the theoretical model and to develop integrated testing strategies for the prediction of certain toxicological effects (i.e., those related to the adverse outcome pathway descriptions);(iii) further case studies target the application of knowledge gained within SEURAT-1 in the context of safety assessment. The ultimate goal would be to perform ab initio predictions based on a complete understanding of toxicological mechanisms. In the near-term, it is more realistic that data from innovative testing methods will support read-across arguments. Both scenarios are addressed with case studies for improved safety assessment. A conceptual framework for a rational integrated assessment strategy emerged from designing the case studies and is discussed in the context of international developments focusing on alternative approaches for evaluating chemicals using the new 21st century tools for toxicity testing.

Application of toxicogenomics to drug development.

The application of advanced modern biomedical and chemical research technologies in the pharmaceutical industry has led to a significant increase in the number of potential drug targets and lead candidates. Whereas the drug discovery process is enhanced significantly, the failure rate of new compounds due to toxicity remains very high. The pharmaceutical industry is setting high hopes on the new discipline of toxicogenomics to revolutionize the process of drug toxicity assessment by reducing the bottleneck of new drug candidates and minimizing late-stage developmental failures. Toxicogenomics is expected to facilitate the efficient screening of new compounds at an early stage, resulting in significant savings of time and cost associated with new drug development. In this review, a general description of the new discipline of toxicogenomics and its potential impact on the safety assessment of new drugs in the pharmaceutical industry is provided. An overview of the key issues and questions that are confronting investigators in this field today is also given as well as a prospective view of the future of this new discipline.

A new approach to studying ochratoxin A (OTA)-induced nephrotoxicity: expression profiling in vivo and in vitro employing cDNA microarrays.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin often found in cereals as a contaminant, and it is known to cause severe nephrotoxicity in animals and humans. There have been several investigations studying the mode of action of this toxicant, suggesting inhibition of protein synthesis, formation of DNA adducts, and provocation of DNA single-strand breaks as a result of oxidative stress, but little is known about the transcriptional alterations underlying OTA-derived nephrotoxicity so far. We carried out DNA microarray analyses to assess OTA-specific expression profiles in vivo and in vitro. Cultures of primary rat proximal tubular cells and male Wistar rats were treated with a low dose (5 microM and 1 mg/kg, respectively) or a high dose (12.5 microM and 10 mg/kg, respectively) of OTA for 24 or 72 h. Microarray experiments were carried out after dual fluorescent labeling of sample cDNA, and data analysis was performed utilizing different statistical methods. Validity of selected microarray data was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. We were able to demonstrate that microarray data derived from our proximal tubule cell (PTC) culture model were highly comparable to the in vivo situation. Marked treatment-specific transcriptional changes were detected for genes involved in DNA damage response and apoptosis (upregulation of GADD 153, GADD 45, annexin V), response to oxidative stress (differential expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and catalase), and inflammatory reactions (upregulation of alpha 2 macroglobulin, ceruloplasmin, and cathepsin S). We conclude that our results provide a molecular basis for interpretation of OTA-induced nephrotoxicity.

Characteristic expression profiles induced by genotoxic carcinogens in rat liver.

When applied in toxicological studies, the recently developed gene expression profiling techniques using microarrays, which brought forth the new field of toxicogenomics, facilitate the interpretation of a toxic compound's mechanism of action. In this study, we investigated whether genotoxic carcinogens at doses known to induce liver tumors in the 2-year rat bioassay deregulate a common set of genes in a short-term in vivo study and, if so, whether these deregulated genes represent defined biological pathways. Rats were dosed with the four genotoxic hepatocarcinogens dimethylnitrosamine (4 mg/kg/day), 2-nitrofluorene (44 mg/kg/day), aflatoxin B1 (0.24 mg/kg/day), and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK, 20 mg/kg/day). After treatment for up to 14 days, the expression profiles of the livers were analyzed on Affymetrix RG_U34A microarrays. Among the significantly upregulated genes were a set of target genes of the tumor suppressor protein p53, indicating a DNA damage response. Such a response was expected and, therefore, confirmed the validity of our approach. In addition, the gene expression changes suggest a specific detoxification response, the activation of proliferative and survival signaling pathways, and some cell structural changes. These responses were strong throughout the 14 day time course for 2-nitrofluorene and aflatoxin B1; in the case of dimethylnitrosamine and NNK, the effects were weakly detectable at day 1 and then increased with time. For dimethylnitrosamine and aflatoxin B1, which caused observable inflammation in vivo, we found a corresponding upregulation of inflammatory genes at the same time points. Thus, by the toxicogenomic analysis of short-term in vivo studies, we identified genes and pathways commonly deregulated by genotoxic carcinogens, which may be indicative for the early events in tumorigenesis and, thus, predictive of later tumor development.