Establishment of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurosphere model to study pathomechanisms and chemical toxicity in Kleefstra syndrome.

In the present study, we aimed to establish and characterize a mature cortical spheroid model system for Kleefstra syndrome (KS) using patient-derived iPSC. We identified key differences in the growth behavior of KS spheroids determined by reduced proliferation marked by low Ki67 and high E-cadherin expression. Conversely, in the spheroid-based neurite outgrowth assay KS outperformed the control neurite outgrowth due to higher BDNF expression. KS spheroids were highly enriched in VGLUT1/2-expressing glutamatergic and ChAT-expressing cholinergic neurons, while TH-positive catecholamine neurons were significantly underrepresented. Furthermore, high NMDAR1 expression was also detected in the KS spheroid, similarly to other patients-derived neuronal cultures, denoting high NMDAR1 expression as a general, KS-specific marker. Control and KS neuronal progenitors and neurospheres were exposed to different toxicants (paraquat, rotenone, bardoxolone, and doxorubicin), and dose-response curves were assessed after acute exposure. Differentiation stage and compound-specific differences were detected with KS neurospheres being the most sensitive to paraquat. Altogether this study describes a robust 3D model system expressing the disease-specific markers and recapitulating the characteristic pathophysiological traits. This platform is suitable for testing developing brain-adverse environmental effects interactions, drug development, and screening towards individual therapeutic strategies.

Patient-derived tumor organoids mimic treatment-induced DNA damage response in glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, characterized by resistance to therapy. Despite aggressive treatment options, GB remains an incurable disease. Invasiveness and heterogeneity are key GB features that cannot be studied in preclinical in vitro models. In this study, we investigated the effects of standard therapy using patient-derived GB organoids (GBOs). GBOs reflect the complexity and heterogeneity of the original tumor tissue. No significant effect on GBO viability or invasion was observed after irradiation and temozolomide treatment. E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (MDM2), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A), and the serine/threonine kinases ATM and ATR were upregulated at the gene and protein levels after treatment. Our results show that the p53 pathway and DNA-damage response mechanisms were triggered, suggesting that GBOs recapitulate GB therapy resistance. GBOs thus provide a highly efficient platform to assess the specific responses of GB patients to therapy and to further explore therapy resistance.

Generation, characterization, and toxicological assessment of reference ultrafine soot particles with different organic content for inhalation toxicological studies.

Ultrafine particles (UFP) are the smallest atmospheric particulate matter linked to air pollution-related diseases. The extent to which UFP's physical and chemical properties contribute to its toxicity remains unclear. It is hypothesized that UFP act as carriers for chemicals that drive biological responses. This study explores robust methods for generating reference UFP to understand these mechanisms and perform toxicological tests. Two types of combustion-related UFP with similar elemental carbon cores and physical properties but different organic loads were generated and characterized. Human alveolar epithelial cells were exposed to these UFP at the air-liquid interface, and several toxicological endpoints were measured. UFP were generated using a miniCAST under fuel-rich conditions and immediately diluted to minimize agglomeration. A catalytic stripper and charcoal denuder removed volatile gases and semi-volatile particles from the surface. By adjusting the temperature of the catalytic stripper, UFP with high and low organic content was produced. These reference particles exhibited fractal structures with high reproducibility and stability over a year, maintaining similar mass and number concentrations (100 µg/m3, 2.0·105 #/cm3) and a mean particle diameter of about 40 nm. High organic content UFP had significant PAH levels, with benzo[a]pyrene at 0.2 % (m/m). Toxicological evaluations revealed that both UFP types similarly affected cytotoxicity and cell viability, regardless of organic load. Higher xenobiotic metabolism was noted for PAH-rich UFP, while reactive oxidation markers increased when semi-volatiles were stripped off. Both UFP types caused DNA strand breaks, but only the high organic content UFP induced DNA oxidation. This methodology allows modification of UFP's chemical properties while maintaining comparable physical properties, linking these variations to biological responses.

An in vitro testicular organoid model for the study of testis morphogenesis, somatic cell maturation, endocrine function, and toxicological assessment of endocrine disruptors.

Male reproductive capacity has fallen considerably in recent decades; in addition, the incidence of testicular cancer has increased in many developed countries. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown, but environmental toxicants are considered a major contributing factor. To study potential reproductive toxicants, robust in vitro testis models are needed. We have recently established a porcine testis organoid system with a high resemblance to the architectures of innate testis tissue. Here, we further investigated the testis morphogenesis, cell maturation, and endocrine function of the testis organoids. We also challenged this system with abiraterone, a steroidogenic inhibitor, to validate its suitability as an in vitro platform for endocrine toxicology tests. Our results showed that the testis cells in the organoids reorganize into testis cordal structures, and the cordal relative areas increase in the organoids over time of culture. Moreover, the diameters and cell numbers per cross-section of the cordal structures increased over time. Interestingly, Sertoli cells in the organoids gradually underwent maturational changes by showing increased expression of androgen receptors, decreased expression of the anti-müllerian hormone, and formation of the blood-testis barrier. Next, we confirmed that the organoids respond to hormonal stimulation and release multiple sex hormones, including testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone. Finally, we showed that the production of testosterone and estradiol in this system can be inhibited in response to the steroidogenic inhibitor. Taken together, our organoid system provides a promising in vitro platform for male reproductive toxicology studies on testis morphogenesis, somatic cell maturation, and endocrine production.

1H NMR spectroscopic characterisation of HepG2 cells as a model metabolic system for toxicology studies.

The immortalised human hepatocellular HepG2 cell line is commonly used for toxicology studies as an alternative to animal testing due to its characteristic liver-distinctive functions. However, little is known about the baseline metabolic changes within these cells upon toxin exposure. We have applied 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterise the biochemical composition of HepG2 cells at baseline and post-exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Metabolic profiles of live cells, cell extracts, and their spent media supernatants were obtained using 1H high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (O-PLS-DA) was used to characterise the metabolites that differed between the baseline and H2O2 treated groups. The results showed that H2O2 caused alterations to 10 metabolites, including acetate, glutamate, lipids, phosphocholine, and creatine in the live cells; 25 metabolites, including acetate, alanine, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), aspartate, citrate, creatine, glucose, glutamine, glutathione, and lactate in the cell extracts, and 22 metabolites, including acetate, alanine, formate, glucose, pyruvate, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine in the cell supernatants. At least 10 biochemical pathways associated with these metabolites were disrupted upon toxin exposure, including those involved in energy, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Our findings illustrate the ability of NMR-based metabolic profiling of immortalised human cells to detect metabolic effects on central metabolism due to toxin exposure. The established data sets will enable more subtle biochemical changes in the HepG2 model cell system to be identified in future toxicity testing.

Finding a Direct Method for a Dynamic Process: The DD (Direct and Dynamic) Cell-Tox Method.

The main focus of in vitro toxicity assessment methods is to assess the viability of the cells, which is usually based on metabolism changes. Yet, when exposed to toxic substances, the cell triggers multiple signals in response. With this in mind, we have developed a promising cell-based toxicity method that observes various cell responses when exposed to toxic substances (either death, division, or remain viable). Based on the collective cell response, we observed and predicted the dynamics of the cell population to determine the toxicity of the toxicant. The method was tested with two different conformations: In the first conformation, we exposed a monoculture model of blood macrophages to UV light, hydrogen peroxide, nutrient deprivation, tetrabromobisphenol A, fatty acids, and 5-fluorouracil. In the second, we exposed a coculture liver model consisting of hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells, Kupffer cells, and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells to rifampicin, ibuprofen, and 5-fluorouracil. The method showed good accuracy compared to established toxicity assessment methods. In addition, this approach provided more representative information on the toxic effects of the compounds, as it considers the different cellular responses induced by toxic agents.

The impact of surface functionalization of cellulose following simulated digestion and gastrointestinal cell-based model exposure.

Surface-functionalized cellulose materials are developed for various purposes, including food additives and food contact materials. A new biologically relevant testing strategy has been developed based on guidance from the European Food Safety Authority to demonstrate the safety of several next-generation surface-functionalized cellulose materials. This strategy involves a complex three-stage simulated digestion to compare the health effects of thirteen novel different types of cellulose. The physical and chemical properties of surface-functionalized fibrillated celluloses differed depending on the type, amount, and location of functional groups such as sulfonate, TEMPO-oxidized carboxy, and periodate-chlorite oxidized dicarboxylic acid celluloses. Despite exposure to gastrointestinal fluids, the celluloses maintained their physicochemical properties, such as negative surface charges and high length-to-width/thickness aspect ratios. An established intestinal co-culture model was used to measure cytotoxicity, barrier integrity, oxidative stress, and pro-inflammatory response to create a toxicological profile for these unique materials. We conclude that the C6 carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils by TEMPO-oxidation induced the most toxicity in the biological model used in this study and that the observed effects were most prominent at the 4-hour post-exposure time point.

In vitro toxicological evaluation of glo menthol and non-menthol heated tobacco products.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are non-combustible, inhaled tobacco products that generate an aerosol with fewer and lower levels of toxicants, with a potential to reduce risk relative to cigarette smoking. Here, we assessed in vitro toxicological effects of three menthol (glo neo neoCLICK, neo Smooth Menthol and Fresh Menthol) and one non-menthol (neo Smooth Tobacco) variants of glo HTP, along with market comparators for cigarettes and HTPs. Limited chemical characterization of the study products revealed significantly lower levels of acetaldehyde, acrolein, crotanaldehyde and formaldehyde in test samples from HTPs than those from cigarettes. The glo HTPs were non-mutagenic in the bacterial reverse mutagenesis assay. Although, the whole aerosol exposures of glo HTPs were classified as genotoxic in the in vitro micronucleus assay, and cytotoxic in the NRU (monolayer) and MTT (3 dimensional EpiAirway™ tissues) assays, the cigarette comparators were the most toxic study products in each of these assessments. Further, glo HTPs elicited oxidative stress responses only at the highest dose tested, whereas the cigarette comparators were potent inducers of oxidative stress at substantially lower doses in the EpiAirway tissues. The comparator (non-glo) HTP results were similar to the glo HTPs in these assays. Thus, the glo HTPs exhibit substantially lower toxicity compared to cigarettes.

Using in vitro data to derive acceptable exposure levels: A case study on PBDE developmental neurotoxicity.

BACKGROUND: Current acceptable chemical exposure levels (e.g., tolerable daily intake) are mainly based on animal experiments, which are costly, time-consuming, considered non-ethical by many, and may poorly predict adverse outcomes in humans. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a method using human in vitro data and biological modeling to calculate an acceptable exposure level through a case study on 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). METHODS: We reviewed the literature on in vitro assays studying BDE-47-induced DNT. Using the most sensitive endpoint, we derived a point of departure using a mass-balance in vitro disposition model and benchmark dose modeling for a 5% response (BMC05) in cells. We subsequently used a pharmacokinetic model of gestation and lactation to estimate administered equivalent doses leading to four different metrics of child brain concentration (i.e., average prenatal, average postnatal, average overall, and maximum concentration) equal to the point of departure. The administered equivalent doses were translated into tolerable daily intakes using uncertainty factors. Finally, we calculated biomonitoring equivalents for maternal serum and compared them to published epidemiological studies of DNT. RESULTS: We calculated a BMC05 of 164 µg/kg of cells for BDE-47 induced alteration of differentiation in neural progenitor cells. We estimated administered equivalent doses of 0.925-3.767 µg/kg/day in mothers, and tolerable daily intakes of 0.009-0.038 µg/kg/day (composite uncertainty factor: 100). The lowest derived biomonitoring equivalent was 19.75 ng/g lipids, which was consistent with reported median (0.9-23 ng/g lipids) and geometric mean (7.02-26.9 ng/g lipids) maternal serum concentrations from epidemiological studies. CONCLUSION: This case study supports using in vitro data and biological modeling as a viable alternative to animal testing to derive acceptable exposure levels.

The role of cytochrome P450 3A4-mediated metabolism in sorafenib and lapatinib hepatotoxicity.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are increasingly popular drugs used to treat more than a dozen different diseases, including some forms of cancer. Despite having fewer adverse effects than traditional chemotherapies, they are not without risks. Liver injury is a particular concern. Of the FDA-approved TKIs, approximately 40% cause hepatotoxicity. However, little is known about the underlying pathophysiology. The leading hypothesis is that TKIs are converted by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) to reactive metabolites that damage proteins. Indeed, there is strong evidence for this bioactivation of TKIs in in vitro reactions. However, the actual toxic effects are underexplored. Here, we measured the cytotoxicity of several TKIs in primary mouse hepatocytes, HepaRG cells, and HepG2 cells with and without CYP3A4 modulation. To our surprise, the data indicate that CYP3A4 increases resistance to sorafenib and lapatinib hepatotoxicity. The results have implications for the mechanism of toxicity of these drugs in patients and underline the importance of selecting an appropriate experimental model.

Cytotoxicity of 19 Pesticides in Rainbow Trout Gill, Liver, and Intestinal Cell Lines.

The rainbow trout gill cell line (RTgill-W1), via test guideline 249 of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, has been established as a promising New Approach Methodology, although to advance confidence in the method more case studies are needed that: 1) expand our understanding of applicability domains (chemicals with diverse properties); 2) increase methodological throughput (96-well format); and 3) demonstrate biological relevance (in vitro to in vivo comparisons; gill vs. other cells). Accordingly, the objective of our study was to characterize the cytotoxicity of 19 pesticides against RTgill-W1 cells, and also liver (RTL-W1) and gut epithelial (RTgutGC) cell lines, and then to compare the in vitro and in vivo data. Of the 19 pesticides tested, 11, 9, and 8 were cytotoxic to the RTgill-W1, RTL-W1, and RTgutGC cells, respectively. Six pesticides (carbaryl, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, dimethenamid-P, metolachlor, and S-metolachlor) were cytotoxic to all three cell lines. Aminomethylphosphonic acid, chlorantraniliprole, dicamba, diquat, imazethapyr, and permethrin exhibited cell-line-specific toxicity. No cytotoxic responses were observed for three herbicides (atrazine, glyphosate, and metribuzin) and four insecticides (clothianidin, diazinon, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam). When cytotoxicity was measured, there was a strong correlation (rs = 0.9, p < 0.0001) between in vitro median effect concentration (EC50) values (based on predicted concentrations using the In Vitro Mass Balance Model Equilibrium Partitioning (IV-MBM EQP) Ver. 2.1) derived from RTgill-W1 and RTL-W1 cells with in vivo median lethal concentration (LC50) values from 96-h acute toxicity studies with trout. In all 28 cases, the in vitro EC50 was within 18-fold of the in vivo LC50. These data help increase our understanding of the ecotoxicological domains of applicability for in vitro studies using cultured rainbow trout cells, while also demonstrating that these assays performed well in a 96-well format and have promise to yield data of biological relevance. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1-13. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

OGT/HIF-2α axis promotes the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and regulates its sensitivity to ferroptosis.

O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) acts in the development of various cancers, but its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. In this study, we found that OGT was upregulated in ccRCC and this upregulation was associated with a worse survival. Moreover, OGT promoted the proliferation, clone formation, and invasion of VHL-mutated ccRCC cells. Mechanistically, OGT increased the protein level of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) (the main driver of the clear cell phenotype) by repressing ubiquitin‒proteasome system-mediated degradation. Interestingly, the OGT/HIF-2α axis conferred ccRCC a high sensitivity to ferroptosis. In conclusion, OGT promotes the progression of VHL-mutated ccRCC by inhibiting the degradation of HIF-2α, and agents that can modulate the OGT/HIF-2α axis may exert therapeutic effects on mutated VHL ccRCC.

Multi-omics approach reveals dysregulated genes during hESCs neuronal differentiation exposure to paracetamol.

Prenatal paracetamol exposure has been associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood. Pharmacoepigenetic studies show differences in cord blood DNA methylation between unexposed and paracetamol-exposed neonates, however, causality and impact of long-term prenatal paracetamol exposure on brain development remain unclear. Using a multi-omics approach, we investigated the effects of paracetamol on an in vitro model of early human neurodevelopment. We exposed human embryonic stem cells undergoing neuronal differentiation with paracetamol concentrations corresponding to maternal therapeutic doses. Single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq integration identified paracetamol-induced chromatin opening changes linked to gene expression. Differentially methylated and/or expressed genes were involved in neurotransmission and cell fate determination trajectories. Some genes involved in neuronal injury and development-specific pathways, such as KCNE3, overlapped with differentially methylated genes previously identified in cord blood associated with prenatal paracetamol exposure. Our data suggest that paracetamol may play a causal role in impaired neurodevelopment.

The Growing Importance of Three-Dimensional Models and Microphysiological Systems in the Assessment of Mycotoxin Toxicity.

Current investigations in the field of toxicology mostly rely on 2D cell cultures and animal models. Although well-accepted, the traditional 2D cell-culture approach has evident drawbacks and is distant from the in vivo microenvironment. To overcome these limitations, increasing efforts have been made in the development of alternative models that can better recapitulate the in vivo architecture of tissues and organs. Even though the use of 3D cultures is gaining popularity, there are still open questions on their robustness and standardization. In this review, we discuss the current spheroid culture and organ-on-a-chip techniques as well as the main conceptual and technical considerations for the correct establishment of such models. For each system, the toxicological functional assays are then discussed, highlighting their major advantages, disadvantages, and limitations. Finally, a focus on the applications of 3D cell culture for mycotoxin toxicity assessments is provided. Given the known difficulties in defining the safety ranges of exposure for regulatory agency policies, we are confident that the application of alternative methods may greatly improve the overall risk assessment.

Salmonid Pituitary Cells as a Test System for Identifying Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds.

The pituitary gland is a central regulator of reproduction, producing two gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinizing hormone (Lh), which regulate gonadal development, sex steroid synthesis, and gamete maturation. The present study sought to optimize an in vitro test system using pituitary cells isolated from previtellogenic female coho salmon and rainbow trout, focusing on fshb and lhb subunit gene expression. Initially, we optimized culture conditions for duration and benefits of culturing with and without addition of endogenous sex steroids (17ß-estradiol [E2] or 11-ketotestosterone) or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The results suggest that culturing with and without E2 was valuable because it could mimic the (+) feedback effects on Lh that are observed from in vivo studies. After optimizing assay conditions, a suite of 12 contaminants and other hormones was evaluated for their effects on fshb and lhb gene expression. Each chemical was tested at four to five different concentrations up to solubility limitations in cell culture media. The results indicate that more chemicals alter lhb synthesis than fshb. The more potent chemicals were estrogens (E2 and 17α-ethynylestradiol) and the aromatizable androgen testosterone, which induced lhb. The estrogen antagonists 4-OH-tamoxifen and prochloraz decreased the E2-stimulated expression of lhb. Among several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors tested, the sertraline metabolite norsertraline was notable for both increasing fshb synthesis and decreasing the E2 stimulation of lhb. These results indicate that diverse types of chemicals can alter gonadotropin production in fish. Furthermore, we have shown that pituitary cell culture is useful for screening chemicals with potential endocrine-disrupting activity and can support the development of quantitative adverse outcome pathways in fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1730-1742. © 2023 SETAC.

New Approach Methodologies for the Endocrine Activity Toolbox: Environmental Assessment for Fish and Amphibians.

Multiple in vivo test guidelines focusing on the estrogen, androgen, thyroid, and steroidogenesis pathways have been developed and validated for mammals, amphibians, or fish. However, these tests are resource-intensive and often use a large number of laboratory animals. Developing alternatives for in vivo tests is consistent with the replacement, reduction, and refinement principles for animal welfare considerations, which are supported by increasing mandates to move toward an "animal-free" testing paradigm worldwide. New approach methodologies (NAMs) hold great promise to identify molecular, cellular, and tissue changes that can be used to predict effects reliably and more efficiently at the individual level (and potentially on populations) while reducing the number of animals used in (eco)toxicological testing for endocrine disruption. In a collaborative effort, experts from government, academia, and industry met in 2020 to discuss the current challenges of testing for endocrine activity assessment for fish and amphibians. Continuing this cross-sector initiative, our review focuses on the current state of the science regarding the use of NAMs to identify chemical-induced endocrine effects. The present study highlights the challenges of using NAMs for safety assessment and what work is needed to reduce their uncertainties and increase their acceptance in regulatory processes. We have reviewed the current NAMs available for endocrine activity assessment including in silico, in vitro, and eleutheroembryo models. New approach methodologies can be integrated as part of a weight-of-evidence approach for hazard or risk assessment using the adverse outcome pathway framework. The development and utilization of NAMs not only allows for replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal testing but can also provide robust and fit-for-purpose methods to identify chemicals acting via endocrine mechanisms. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:757-777. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Long-term in vitro recording of cardiac action potentials on microelectrode arrays for chronic cardiotoxicity assessment.

The reliable identification of chronic cardiotoxic effects in in vitro screenings is fundamental for filtering out toxic molecular entities before in vivo animal experimentation and clinical trials. Present techniques such as patch-clamp, voltage indicators, and standard microelectrode arrays do not offer at the same time high sensitivity for measuring transmembrane ion currents and low-invasiveness for monitoring cells over long time. Here, we show that optoporation applied to microelectrode arrays enables measuring action potentials from human-derived cardiac syncytia for more than 1 continuous month and provides reliable data on chronic cardiotoxic effects caused by known compounds such as pentamidine. The technique has high potential for detecting chronic cardiotoxicity in the early phases of drug development.

Health safety of parabens evaluated by selected in vitro methods.

Seven selected parabens (4 allowed, 3 banned in cosmetics) were tested in order to confirm and expand historical data on their toxicological properties and safety. The aim was to apply novel in vitro methods, which have been sufficiently technically and scientifically validated for the purposes of toxicological testing of chemicals. The study included several toxicological endpoints such as skin/eye irritation, skin sensitization, endocrine disruption and genotoxicity. The battery of selected methods comprised regulatory accepted EpiDerm™ skin model (OECD TG 439); EpiOcular™ corneal model (OECD TG 492) and scientifically valid test method HET-CAM (DB-ALM Protocol No. 47); in chemico test DPRA (OECD TG 442C); in vitro test LuSens (OECD TG 442D) and in vitro test h-CLAT (OECD TG 442E); Ames MPF™ (Xenometrix) and XenoScreen YES/YAS (Xenometrix). Overall, none of the 4 allowed parabens exhibited skin/eye irritation or genotoxicity. However, all allowed parabens in cosmetics were predicted as samples with potentially sensitizing properties in the LuSens and h-CLAT test methods, but not confirmed by DPRA. Endocrine disruption was recorded only at high concentrations, whereas methyl paraben and ethyl paraben exhibited the lowest activity. This study confirmed the safety of use of the allowed parabens in the highest recommended concentrations in cosmetics or pharmaceuticals.

Comparison of Two Estrogen Chemically Activated Luciferase Expression Cell Bioassays to Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Quantifying Estrone in Water Samples.

Chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) cell bioassays are popular tools for assessing endocrine activity of chemicals such as certain environmental contaminants. Although activity equivalents can be obtained from CALUX analysis, directly comparing these equivalents to those obtained from analytical chemistry methods can be problematic because of the complexity of endocrine active pathways. We explored the suitability of two estrogen CALUX bioassays (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-approved VM7Luc4E2 cell bioassay and the VM7LucERßc9 cell bioassay) for quantitation of estrogen. Quadrupole-time of flight ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was selected as a comparative method. Regression analysis of measured estrone (E1) calibration samples showed all three methods to be highly predictive of nominal concentrations (p ≤ 7.5 × 10-51 ). Extracts of water sampled from laboratory dilutor tanks containing E1 at 0, 20, and 200 ng/L alone and in combination with atrazine were selected to test the quantitative capabilities of the CALUX assays. Process controls (0 and 100 ng E1/L) and a separate E1 standard (10 ng/ml, used to prepare the E1 process control) were also tested. Levels of E1 determined by LC/MS analysis and bioanalytical equivalents (ng E1/L) determined by CALUX analyses were comparable except in certain instances where the samples required dilution prior to CALUX analyses (e.g., the E1 process control and E1 standard). In those instances, measurements by CALUX were slightly but significantly decreased relative to LC/MS. Atrazine had no effect on the ability of either LC/MS or the CALUX bioassays to quantify E1. The present study illustrates the CALUX bioassays as successful in quantifying an estrogen in simple water samples and further characterizes their utility for screening. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:333-339. Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

In vitro and in vivo toxicity assessment of the senotherapeutic Peptide 14.

Senotherapeutic molecules decrease cellular senescence burden, constituting promising approaches to combat the accumulation of senescent cells observed in chronological aging and age-related diseases. Numerous molecules have displayed senotherapeutic potential, but toxicity has been frequently observed. Recently, a new senotherapeutic compound, Peptide 14, was developed to modulate cellular senescence in the skin. In order to assess the potential toxic and genotoxic effects of the peptide, we observed the viability of human primary dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes with Peptide 14 treatment, and show that it is mostly non-toxic in concentrations up to 100 µM. Cancer lines were also used to investigate its potential of modulating proliferation. Different concentrations of the peptide promoted a discrete reduction in the proliferation of cancerous cells of the MeWo and HeLa lineages. In full-thickness human skin equivalents, topically formulated Peptide 14 also failed to exert any significant irritation, nor cellular toxicity when added to the culture media. Genotoxic assays including the Ames, micronucleus, and karyotyping tests also indicate the safety of the peptide. Finally, the irritative potential of the peptide was assessed in human subjects in a repeated insult patch test executed using 1 mM peptide. No visible skin reactions were observed in any of the 54 participants. Taken together, the present data support that Peptide 14 is a senotherapeutic molecule with a positive safety profile as tested with cruelty-free models, justifying further studies involving the peptide.