Health risk assessment for dietary exposure to 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, 2-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, and glycidol for Italian consumers.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), 2-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (2-MCPD) and 2,3-epoxy-1-propanol (glycidol), in their free form or esterified to fatty acids, are food contaminants formed during the refinement of oils and fats. We conducted a survey to quantify the levels of these compounds in 130 food items, in order to assess the exposure to them in food and the consequent health risk for consumers. Food samples, including infant formula, were analysed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry with the indirect method, and we used the latest open access food consumption database for the Italian population for a probabilistic assessment of exposure. We adopted an in silico approach to fill the gap for the toxicity of 2-MCPD. The occurrence values for the three contaminants in food were in most cases lower than or comparable to those reported in previous surveys. Exposure assessment for the most exposed individuals (95thpercentiles of consumers only) of different age groups, gave values below the tolerable daily intake recommended by the European Food Safety Authority for 3-MCPD and below the simulated or predicted toxicity thresholds for 2-MCPD, indicating a negligible risk due to dietary exposure to these contaminants. For glycidol, however, estimated exposure indicated a non-negligible increase in cancer risk, and a margin of exposure <25,000 for younger population groups, indicating a potential health concern.

Toxicology of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol and its esters: a narrative review.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) is a chiral molecule naturally existing as a racemic mixture of (R)- and (S)-enantiomers. It was thoroughly investigated during the 1970s as a male antifertility drug until research was abandoned because of the side effects observed in toxicity studies. More than 20 years later, 3-MCPD, both in the free form and esterified to the fatty acids, was detected in vegetable oil and discovered to be a widespread contaminant in different processed foods. This review summarises the main toxicological studies on 3-MCPD and its esters. Current knowledge shows that the kidney and reproductive system are the primary targets of 3-MCPD toxicity, followed by neurological and immune systems. Despite uncertainties, in vivo studies suggest that renal and reproductive toxicity is mediated by toxic metabolites, leading to inhibition of glycolysis and energy depletion. Few acute, short-term, and subchronic toxicity studies have investigated the 3-MCPD esters. The pattern of toxicity was similar to that of free 3-MCPD. Some evidence suggests that the toxicity of 3-MCPD diesters may be milder than 3-MCPD, likely because of an incomplete enzymatic hydrolysis in the equivalent free form in the gastrointestinal tract. Further research to clarify absorption, metabolism, and long-term toxicity of 3-MCPD esters would be pivotal to improve the risk assessment of these compounds via food.

Development of a Nanoparticle-Based Approach for the Blood-Brain Barrier Passage in a Murine Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

The development of nanoparticles (NPs) to enable the passage of drugs across blood-brain barrier (BBB) represents one of the main challenges in neuropharmacology. In recent years, NPs that are able to transport drugs and interact with brain endothelial cells have been tested. Here, we investigated whether the functionalization of avidin-nucleic-acid-nanoassembly (ANANAS) with apolipoprotein E (ApoE) would allow BBB passage in the SOD1G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our results demonstrated that ANANAS was able to transiently cross BBB to reach the central nervous system (CNS), and ApoE did not enhance this property. Next, we investigated if ANANAS could improve CNS drug delivery. To this aim, the steroid dexamethasone was covalently linked to ANANAS through an acid-reversible hydrazone bond. Our data showed that the steroid levels in CNS tissues of SOD1G93A mice treated with nanoformulation were below the detection limit. This result demonstrates that the passage of BBB is not sufficient to guarantee the release of the cargo in CNS and that a different strategy for drug tethering should be devised. The present study furthermore highlights that NPs can be useful in improving the passage through biological barriers but may limit the interaction of the therapeutic compound with the specific target.

Targeting Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Using Potent Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors Based on the 2-Hydroxypyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine Scaffold: SAR of the Aryloxyaryl Moiety.

In recent years, human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors have been associated with acute myelogenous leukemia as well as studied as potent host targeting antivirals. Starting from MEDS433 (IC50 1.2 nM), we kept improving the structure-activity relationship of this class of compounds characterized by 2-hydroxypyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine scaffold. Using an in silico/crystallography supported design, we identified compound 4 (IC50 7.2 nM), characterized by the presence of a decorated aryloxyaryl moiety that replaced the biphenyl scaffold, with potent inhibition and pro-differentiating abilities on AML THP1 cells (EC50 74 nM), superior to those of brequinar (EC50 249 nM) and boosted when in combination with dipyridamole. Finally, compound 4 has an extremely low cytotoxicity on non-AML cells as well as MEDS433; it has shown a significant antileukemic activity in vivo in a xenograft mouse model of AML.

Bioaccumulation of PCBs and their hydroxy and sulfonated metabolites in earthworms: Comparing lab and field results.

Sulfonated and hydroxy-sulfonated PCBs were recently discovered by our group as new PCB soil contaminants, constituting about 1% of their parent compounds in soil. Here we investigate for the first time the bioaccumulation of these metabolites as well as hydroxy-PCBs and native PCBs in earthworms. A sequence of three experiments, at increasing complexity and ecological realism, were performed with four different earthworm species (Eisenia foetida Savigny, Lumbricus terrestris L, Allolobophora chlorotica Savigny and Aporrectodea caliginosa Savigny) exposed to contaminated soils. The first experiment confirmed that when exposing earthworms to soil contaminated with a single hexa-chlorinated congener (PCB 155), no formation of polar metabolites in earthworms could be detected. This allowed to plan the following two experiments, using a soil from a PCB contaminated site and rich in relatively high levels (10-130 µg kg-1) of hydroxy-, sulfonated-, and hydroxy-sulfonated-PCBs. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were then obtained in the second and third experiments, to compare the accumulation behavior of these chemicals in laboratory and natural conditions. Regressions between BAF/BCF and Log Kow/Log D, produced a variety of results, being generally significant between BCF and PCBs and not significant in the other cases. In general, the metabolites accumulated in earthworms with detectable concentrations in their tissues (8-115 µg kg-1), although sulfonated and hydroxy-sulfonated PCBs showed BAF and BCF values lower (up to two orders of magnitude) than those calculated for the parent PCBs, given their lower lipophilicity.