Biological changes in C57BL/6 mice following 3 weeks of inhalation exposure to cigarette smoke or e-vapor aerosols.

We compared early biological changes in mice after inhalation exposures to cigarette smoke or e-vapor aerosols (MarkTen® cartridge with Carrier, Test-1, or Test-2 formulations; 4% nicotine). Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 3R4F cigarette smoke or e-vapor aerosols by nose-only inhalation for up to 4 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. The 3R4F and e-vapor exposures were set to match the target nose port aerosol nicotine concentration (∼41 µg/L). Only the 3R4F group showed postexposure clinical signs such as tremors and lethargy. At necropsy, the 3R4F group had significant increases in lung weight and changes in bronchoalveolar lavage parameters, as well as microscopic findings in the respiratory tract. The e-vapor groups had minimal microscopic changes, including squamous metaplasia in laryngeal epiglottis, and histiocytic infiltrates in the lung (Test-2 group only). The 3R4F group had a higher incidence and severity of microscopic findings compared to any e-vapor group. Transcriptomic analysis also showed that the 3R4F group had the highest number of differentially expressed genes compared to Sham Control. Among e-vapor groups, Test-2 group had more differentially expressed genes but the magnitude of gene expression-based network perturbations in all e-vapor groups was ∼94% less than the 3R4F group. On proteome analysis in the lung, differentially regulated proteins were detected in the 3R4F group only. In conclusion, 3-weeks of 3R4F exposure induced molecular and microscopic changes associated with smoking-related diseases in the respiratory tract, while e-vapor exposures showed substantially reduced biological activities.

Multisite carcinogenicity and respiratory toxicity of inhaled 1-bromopropane in rats and mice.

Two-year 1-bromopropane (1-BP) inhalation studies were conducted because of the potential for widespread exposure, the lack of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity data, and the known carcinogenicity of structurally related compounds. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1/N mice were exposed by inhalation to 0, 62.5 (mice only), 125, 250, or 500 (rats only) ppm 1-BP for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 105 weeks. Exposure of male and female rats to 1-BP resulted in significantly increased incidences of adenomas of the large intestine and skin neoplasms. In male rats, the incidence of malignant mesothelioma of the epididymis was statistically significantly increased at 500 ppm, but the biological significance of this common lesion is unclear. Incidences of pancreatic islet adenoma in male rats were significantly increased at all concentrations relative to concurrent controls but were within the historical control range for inhalation studies. There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of 1-BP in male B6C3F1 mice; however, significantly increased incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar neoplasms of the lung were present in female mice. Exposure to 1-BP also resulted in increased incidences of nonneoplastic lesions in the nose of rats and mice, the larynx of rats and male mice, the trachea of female rats and male and female mice, and the lungs of mice. Inflammatory lesions with Splendore Hoeppli (S-H) material were present primarily in the nose and skin of exposed male and female rats, indicating that 1-BP caused immunosuppression.

Transcriptomic data from the rat liver after five days of exposure to legacy or emerging brominated flame retardants.

Large-scale gene expression analysis of legacy* and emerging** brominated flame retardants were conducted in the male Harlan Sprague Dawley rat [1]. Each animal was dosed for 5 days with the chemical at concentrations of 0.1 - 1000 µmol/kg body weight per day. Following the last dose, a specimen of the left liver was removed for RNA extraction. The amplified RNA (aRNA) was fragmented and then hybridized to Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2.0 Arrays. Each GeneChip® array was scanned using an Affymetrix GeneChip® Scanner 3000 7 G to generate raw expression level data (.CEL files). Statistical contrasts were used to find pairwise gene expression differences between the control group and each dose group using the R/maanova package [2]. The transcriptomic data can be used to provide insights into the degree of toxicity, toxic mechanisms, disease pathways activated by exposure, and for benchmark dose analysis. The gene expression data for each of the nine flame retardants discussed here accompanies the research article entitled, "Comparative Toxicity and Liver Transcriptomics of Legacy and Emerging Brominated Flame Retardants following 5-Day Exposure in the Rat" [1]. * polybrominated diphenyl ether 47 (PBDE 47), decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD); ** 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB); bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH); tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether (TBBPA-DBPE); 1,2-bis(tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE); decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE); hexachlorocyclopentadienyl-dibromocyclooctane (HCDBCO).

Comparative toxicity and liver transcriptomics of legacy and emerging brominated flame retardants following 5-day exposure in the rat.

The relative toxicity of three legacy and six emerging brominated flame retardants* was studied in the male Harlan Sprague Dawley rat. The hepatocellular and thyroid toxicity of each flame retardant was evaluated following five-day exposure to each of the nine flame retardants (oral gavage in corn oil) at 0.1-1000 µmol/kg body weight per day. Histopathology and transcriptomic analysis were performed on the left liver lobe. Centrilobular hypertrophy of hepatocytes and increases in liver weight were seen following exposure to two legacy (PBDE-47, HBCD) and to one emerging flame retardant (HCDBCO). Total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations were reduced to the greatest extent after PBDE-47 exposure. The PBDE-47, decaBDE, and HBCD liver transcriptomes were characterized by upregulation of liver disease-related and/or metabolic transcripts. Fewer liver disease or metabolic transcript changes were detected for the other flame retardants studied (TBB, TBPH, TBBPA-DBPE, BTBPE, DBDPE, or HCDBCO). PBDE-47 exhibited the most disruption of hepatocellular toxic endpoints, with the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway transcripts upregulated to the greatest extent, although some activation of this pathway also occurred after decaBDE, HBCD, TBB, and HCBCO exposure. These studies provide information that can be used for prioritizing the need for more in-depth brominated flame retardant toxicity studies.

A Factorial Analysis of Drug and Bleeding Effects in Toxicokinetic Studies.

The ICH revised the S3A guidance allowing blood to be microsampled for toxicokinetic analysis from the main study cohorts of rats in general toxicology studies. The resulting changes in the hemogram have been examined in healthy animals but the ability to read through the data when there are toxicological changes has not been thoroughly examined in the literature. To address this, a toxicology study in Sprague Dawley rats was conducted where animals received repeated doses of saline or valproic acid by IP injection daily for 7 days. Animals in both treatment groups were unbled, serially bled (6 bleeds/animal at 0.1 ml/bleed) or compositely bled (2 bleeds/animal at 0.6 ml/bleed) on days 1 and 7 for TK analysis. No statistically significant changes in the clinical pathology were observed for either the serial bleed or composite bleed animals when compared with their respective unbled control; however, a 4%-7% decrease in erythrocyte counts following serial bleeding and a 5%-19% decrease following composite bleeding was observed. When all the clinical pathology and organ weight data were equivalence tested, both the serial bleed and composite bleed results were equivalent to their unbled controls except for the erythroid parameters in the composite bleed group. Toxicokinetic analysis of the blood samples resulted in comparable concentration-time curves, regardless of the method of blood collection. Under these study conditions, the results show blood microsamples can be collected from the core or recovery cohort of animals in a toxicology study without impacting the toxicological interpretation in rats.

Inhalation toxicity and lung toxicokinetics of C60 fullerene nanoparticles and microparticles.

While several recent reports have described the toxicity of water-soluble C60 fullerene nanoparticles, none have reported the toxicity resulting from the inhalation exposures to C60 fullerene nanoparticles or microparticles. To address this knowledge gap, we exposed male rats to C60 fullerene nanoparticles (2.22 mg/m3, 55 nm diameter) and microparticles (2.35 mg/m3, 0.93 microm diameter) for 3 h a day, for 10 consecutive days using a nose-only exposure system. Nanoparticles were created utilizing an aerosol vaporization and condensation process. Nanoparticles and microparticles were subjected to high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), XRD, and scanning laser Raman spectroscopy, which cumulatively indicated no chemical modification of the C60 fullerenes occurred during the aerosol generation. At necropsy, no gross or microscopic lesions were observed in either group of C60 fullerene exposures rats. Hematology and serum chemistry results found statistically significant differences, although small in magnitude, in both exposure groups. Comparisons of bronchoalveolar (BAL) lavage fluid parameters identified a significant increase in protein concentration in rats exposed to C60 fullerene nanoparticles. BAL fluid macrophages from both exposure groups contained brown pigments, consistent with C60 fullerenes. C60 lung particle burdens were greater in nanoparticle-exposed rats than in microparticle-exposed rats. The calculated lung deposition rate and deposition fraction were 41 and 50% greater, respectively, in C60 fullerene nanoparticle-exposed group than the C60 fullerene microparticle-exposed group. Lung half-lives for C60 fullerene nanoparticles and microparticles were 26 and 29 days, respectively. In summary, this first in vivo assessment of the toxicity resulting from inhalation exposures to C60 fullerene nanoparticles and microparticles found minimal changes in the toxicological endpoints examined. Additional toxicological assessments involving longer duration inhalation exposures are needed to develop a better and more conclusive understanding of the potential toxicity of inhaled C60 fullerenes whether in nanoparticle or microparticle form.

3-week inhalation exposure to cigarette smoke and/or lipopolysaccharide in AKR/J mice.

AKR/J mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) via inhalation for 3 wk and pulmonary responses were evaluated. The objective was to explore the feasibility of coexposing LPS with cigarette smoke under a subacute exposure, as a surrogate for viral or bacterial insults, that would mimic the pathogenesis of infection-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. The study was the first step in an effort to develop a rodent COPD model in which morphologic lesions of COPD develop in a shorter period of exposure and more closely simulate human COPD. Mice were exposed 6 h/day, 5 days/wk for 3 wk to one of the following: (1) sham control: filtered air; (2) CS: 250 microg/L wet total particulate matter (WTPM) for 5 h/day followed by 1 h/day air; (3) LPS: 0.5 microg/L LPS (055:B5 Escherichia coli; 3,000,000 EU/mg) for the last 1 h/day 2 day/wk (following 5 h/day of filtered air); and (4) CS/LPS: CS 5 h/day followed by air or LPS (2 days/wk) for 1 h/day. After the last exposure, animals were necropsied and subjected to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or histopathology. The BAL neutrophil counts were highest in the LPS group, while macrophage counts were higher in the CS/LPS group than other exposed groups. The LPS group displayed the greatest increases in BAL cytokines, while KC (keratinocyte-derived chemokine) and TARC (thymus and activation-regulated chemokine) were highest in the CS group. The CS/LPS group had generally lower cytokine levels relative to the LPS or CS groups, except for the levels of RANTES and G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) comparable to the LPS group. At microscopic examination of lung sections, cellular inflammatory infiltrates were most notable in the CS/LPS group, which had a diffuse, predominantly macrophage infiltrate with fewer neutrophils. The LPS group had predominantly neutrophils in the pulmonary infiltrate and the CS group had a predominantly macrophage infiltrate in alveolar ducts and adjacent alveoli. Apoptotic labeling of lung cells was highest with the CS/LPS group. In summary, the CS/LPS group displayed greater cellular infiltration and apoptotic responses in the lung with an indication of immunosuppressive effects (lower BAL cytokines) than the CS or LPS group, suggesting that the CS/LPS model shows promise to be further explored as an animal model for studying pathogenesis of COPD exacerbations. A longer term study with interim assessments is needed to confirm that the subacute responses observed in the CS/LPS group will result in greater severity of COPD-related pulmonary lesions following prolonged exposures.

Pulmonary inflammation in mice exposed to mainstream cigarette smoke.

Male C57Bl/6 (C57) and ICR mice were exposed by nose-only inhalation to mainstream cigarette smoke (MS) from 2R4F reference cigarettes, at concentrations of 75, 250, and 600 microg of total particulate matter (TPM) per liter, for up to 6 mo. Respiratory-tract tissue (nose, larynx, and lung), blood, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected and analyzed at several time points. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of exposure (COHb and nicotine). BALF was analyzed for biomarkers of cell injury, inflammation, oxidative stress, enzyme activity, and cytokines. Blood COHb and plasma nicotine concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner, confirming smoke exposure. Mild emphysema was observed following 28 wk of exposure. Macrophage accumulation and inflammatory infiltrates were observed around the alveolar ducts and adjacent vasculature. There was an approximately 13% increase in mean linear intercept (Lm) only in ICR mice exposed to 600 microg/L TPM. There were no significant changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress secondary to smoke exposures; however, 8-isoprostane significantly increased following the 13-wk post-inhalation period. BALF macrophage and neutrophil counts were rapidly and consistently elevated, while lymphocyte counts gradually increased over time. MS-induced inflammatory responses observed in this study are comparable to changes reported in chronic smokers, supporting the role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of emphysema. However, mild emphysema in minimal numbers of mice suggests that MS exposure concentration and/or duration in the current study were not sufficient to induce a definitive emphysema phenotype.

A study of spectral integration and normalization in NMR-based metabonomic analyses.

Metabonomics involves the quantitation of the dynamic multivariate metabolic response of an organism to a pathological event or genetic modification [J.K. Nicholson, J.C. Lindon, E. Holmes, Xenobiotica 29 (1999) 1181-1189]. The analysis of these data involves the use of appropriate multivariate statistical methods; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been documented as a valuable pattern recognition technique for 1H NMR spectral data [J.T. Brindle, H. Antti, E. Holmes, G. Tranter, J.K. Nicholson, H.W. Bethell, S. Clarke, P.M. Schofield, E. McKilligin, D.E. Mosedale, D.J. Grainger, Nat. Med. 8 (2002) 1439-1444; B.C. Potts, A.J. Deese, G.J. Stevens, M.D. Reily, D.G. Robertson, J. Theiss, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 26 (2001) 463-476; D.G. Robertson, M.D. Reily, R.E. Sigler, D.F. Wells, D.A. Paterson, T.K. Braden, Toxicol. Sci. 57 (2000) 326-337; L.C. Robosky, D.G. Robertson, J.D. Baker, S. Rane, M.D. Reily, Comb. Chem. High Throughput Screen. 5 (2002) 651-662]. Prior to PCA the raw data is typically processed through four steps; (1) baseline correction, (2) endogenous peak removal, (3) integration over spectral regions to reduce the number of variables, and (4) normalization. The effect of the size of spectral integration regions and normalization has not been well studied. The variability structure and classification accuracy on two distinctly different datasets are assessed via PCA and a leave-one-out cross-validation approach under two normalization approaches and an array of spectral integration regions. The first dataset consists of urine from 15 male Wistar-Hannover rats dosed with ANIT measured at five time points, mimicking drug-induced cholangiolitic hepatitis [D.G. Robertson, M.D. Reily, R.E. Sigler, D.F. Wells, D.A. Paterson, T.K. Braden, Toxicol. Sci. 57 (2000) 326-337; J.P. Shockcor, E. Holmes, Curr. Top. Med. Chem. 2 (2002) 35-51; N.J. Waters, E. Holmes, A. Williams, C.J. Waterfield, R.D. Farrant, J.K. Nicholson, Chem. Res. Toxicol. 14 (2001) 1401-1412]. The second data is serum samples from young male C57BL/6 mice subjected to instillation of pancreatic elastase producing emphysema type symptoms [C. Kuhn, S.Y. Yu, M. Chraplyvy, H.E. Linder, R.M. Senior, Lab. Invest. 34 (1976) 372-380; C. Kuhn, R.M. Senior, Lung 155 (1978) 185-197]. This study indicates that independent of the normalization method the classification accuracy achieved from metabonomic studies is not highly sensitive to the size of the spectral integration region. Additionally, both datasets scaled to mean zero and unity variance (auto-scaled) have higher variability within classification accuracy over spectral integration window widths than data scaled to the total intensity of the spectrum. Of the top 10 latent variables for the ANIT dataset the auto-scale normalization has standard deviations larger than the total-scale in seven cases. In the case of the elastase all standard deviations are larger for the auto-scaling.

Characterization of lymphocyte populations by flow cytometry in a calf with sporadic juvenile lymphoma.

A 2-month-old Angus heifer was presented to Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for generalized peripheral lymphadenopathy and mild anorexia. Results of a CBC revealed marked lymphocytosis consisting primarily of large, atypical lymphocytes with cleaved, reniform nuclei. A presumptive diagnosis of sporadic juvenile lymphoma was made. To confirm these findings, a prescapular lymph node was submitted for histopathology, immunochemistry, and flow cytometric analysis. Peripheral blood also was analyzed by flow cytometry. Phenotypic characterization of lymph node and peripheral blood cell populations verified the calf had the B-cell form of sporadic juvenile lymphoma. The results of this investigation expand the phenotypic characterization of neoplastic lymphocytes in sporadic juvenile lymphoma.

Evaluation of propargyl alcohol toxicity and carcinogenicity in F344/N rats and B6C3F1/N mice following whole-body inhalation exposure.

Propargyl alcohol (PA) is a high production volume chemical used in synthesis of many industrial chemicals and agricultural products. Despite the potential for prolonged or accidental exposure to PA in industrial settings, the toxicity potential of PA was not well characterized. To address the knowledge gaps relevant to the toxicity profile of PA, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted 2-week, 14-week and 2-year studies in male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1/N mice. For the 2-week inhalation study, the rats and mice were exposed to 0, 31.3, 62.5, 125, 250 or 500ppm. Significant mortality was observed in both rats and mice exposed to ≥125ppm of PA. The major target organ of toxicity in both mice and rats was the liver with exposure-related histopathological changes (250 and 500ppm). Based on the decreased survival in the 2-week study, the rats and mice were exposed to 0, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64ppm of PA in the 14-week study. No treatment-related mortality was observed. Mean body weights of male (≥8ppm) and female mice (32 and 64ppm) were significantly decreased (7-16%). Histopathological changes were noted in the nasal cavity, and included suppurative inflammation, squamous metaplasia, hyaline droplet accumulation, olfactory epithelium atrophy, and necrosis. In the 2-year inhalation studies, the rats were exposed to 0, 16, 32 and 64ppm of PA and the mice were exposed to 0, 8, 16 and 32ppm of PA. Survival of male rats was significantly reduced (32 and 64ppm). Mean body weights of 64ppm male rats were significantly decreased relative to the controls. Both mice and rats showed a spectrum of non-neoplastic changes in the nose. Increased neoplastic incidences of nasal respiratory/transitional epithelial adenoma were observed in both rats and mice. The incidence of mononuclear cell leukemia was significantly increased in male rats and was considered to be treatment-related. In conclusion, the key findings from this study indicated that the nose was the primary target organ of toxicity for PA. Long term inhalation exposure to PA led to nonneoplastic changes in the nose, and increased incidences of respiratory/transitional epithelial adenomas in both mice and rats. Increased incidences of harderian gland adenoma may also have been related to exposure to PA in male mice.

Upper respiratory tract lesions in inhalation toxicology.

This paper describes some important differences in normal histology of the upper respiratory tract of laboratory animals. It also provides examples of lesions observed or reported in the upper respiratory tract of laboratory animals, predominantly rodents, exposed via inhalation. The anatomy and physiology of upper respiratory tract tissues play a major role in the response to an insult, given that different epithelial types vary in susceptibility to injury and toxicant exposure concentrations throughout the airway vary due to airflow dynamics. Although dogs and nonhuman primates are utilized for inhalation toxicology studies, less information is available regarding sites of upper respiratory injury and types of responses in these species. Awareness of interspecies differences in normal histology and zones of transition from squamous to respiratory to olfactory epithelium in different areas of the upper respiratory tract is critical to detection and description of lesions. Repeated inhalation of chemicals, drugs, or environmental contaminants induces a wide range of responses, depending on the physical properties of the toxicant and concentration and duration of exposure. Accurate and consistent fixation, trimming, and microtomy of tissue sections using anatomic landmarks are critical steps in providing the pathologist the tools needed to compare the morphology of upper respiratory tract tissues from exposed and control animals and detect and interpret subtle differences.