Advancing Environmental Toxicology In Vitro:From Immortalized Cancer Cell Lines to 3D Models Derived from Stem Cells

In recent years,rapid industrial development has resulted in the production and exposure of a substantial number of compounds to the human body.This has created an urgent need in environmental toxicology for models that are efficient,accurate,and cost-effective in evaluating the health impacts of these compounds on humans.Over the past seven decades,various cancer cell lines and immortalized cell lines have made significant contributions to the advancement of research on organ toxicity.Pluripotent stem cell technology,especially toxicological models derived from pluripotent stem cells,presents modern environmental toxicologists with high-throughput,species-relevant,and predictive options.In this comprehensive review,we assess the characteristics of representative human cancer cell lines and immortalized cell lines in environmental toxicology,as well as introduce two distinct human pluripotent stem cell types and their innovative toxicological models.We explore their applications and prospects in the field of environmental toxicology,while also addressing the readiness of in vitro models to confront the emerging challenges of the future.

Associations between the prevalence of asthma and dietary exposure to food contaminants in children:CHASER study

BackgroundAsthma is a common,multifactorial chronic disease with a major impact on children and adolescents.Exposure to food contaminants is one of the contributing factors to asthma.This study aims to evaluate the intake and exposure of different contaminants and explore their association with childhood asthma.MethodsThe Childhood Asthma and Environment Research study evaluated Italian children aged 5–14 years,divided into control and asthma case groups.Dietary habits were recorded,and exposure to 11 food contaminants was estimated with the CONT11 database.The study included 428 children,264 with asthma and 164 without.ResultsThe findings of this study were consistent with those reported in other studies,indicating that exposure to nitrates and acrylamide was significantly higher in asthmatic children.The results suggest that exposure to certain contaminants could have a more pronounced effect on asthmatic children.ConclusionsThe study demonstrates the importance of tools such as CONT11 in assessing food safety.Furthermore,it reinforces the need to prevent and reduce exposure to food contaminants to minimize health risks.

Toxicity assessment of polyethylene microplastics in combination with a mix of emerging pollutants on Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles

Studies in recent years have shown that aquatic pollution by microplastics(MPs)can be considered to pose additional stress to amphibian populations.However,our knowledge of how MPs affect amphibians is very rudimentary,and even more limited is our understanding of their effects in combination with other emerging pollutants.Thus,we aimed to evaluate the possible toxicity of polyethylene MPs(PE-MPs)(alone or in combination with a mix of pollutants)on the health of Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles.After 30 days of exposure,multiple biomarkers were measured,including morphological,biometric,and developmental indices,behavioral parameters,mutagenicity,cytotoxicity,antioxidant and cholinesterase responses,as well as the uptake and accumulation of PE-MPs in animals.Based on the results,there was no significant change in any of the parameters measured in tadpoles exposed to treatments,but induced stress was observed in tadpoles exposed to PE-MPs combined with themixture of pollutants,reflecting significant changes in physiological and biochemical responses.Through principal component analysis(PCA)and integrated biomarker response(IBR)assessment,effects induced by pollutants in each test group were distinguished,confirming that the exposure of P.cuvieri tadpoles to the PE-MPs in combination with a mix of emerging pollutants induces an enhanced stress response,although the uptake and accumulation of PE-MPs in these animalswas reduced.Thus,our study provides newinsight into the danger to amphibians of MPs coexisting with other pollutants in aquatic environments.

Studying developmental neurotoxic effects of bisphenol A(BPA) using embryonic stem cells

There is little to no toxicity information regarding thousands of chemicals to which people are exposed daily.In fact,of the84,000 chemicals listed in the United States Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory,there is limited information available on their effects on neural development（Betts,2010;US EPA,2015）.

The potential application of red mud and soil mixture as additive to the surface layer of a landfill cover system

Red mud, the by-product of aluminum production, has been regarded as a problematic residue all over the world. Its storage involves risks as evidenced by the Ajka red mud spill,an accident in Hungary where the slurry broke free, flooding the surrounding areas. As an immediate remediation measure more than 5 cm thick red mud layer was removed from the flooded soil surface. The removed red mud and soil mixture（RMSM） was transferred into the reservoirs for storage. In this paper the application of RMSM is evaluated in a field study aiming at re-utilizing waste, decreasing cost of waste disposal and providing a value-added product. The purpose was to investigate the applicability of RMSM as surface layer component of landfill cover systems. The field study was carried out in two steps： in lysimeters and in field plots. The RMSM was mixed at ratios ranging between 0 and 50% w/w with low quality subsoil（LQS） originally used as surface layer of an interim landfill cover. The characteristics of the LQS ＋ RMSM mixtures compared to the subsoil（LQS） and the RMSM were determined by physical–chemical, biological and ecotoxicological methods. The addition of RMSM to the subsoil（LQS） at up to 20% did not result any ecotoxic effect, but it increased the water holding capacity. In addition, the microbial substrate utilization became about triple of subsoil（LQS） after 10 months. According to our results the RMSM mixed into subsoil（LQS） at20% w/w dose may be applied as surface layer of landfill cover systems.

From water to plate:Reviewing the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish and unraveling human health risks in the food chain

As we tread upon the ever-evolving canvas of our planet,one of the emerging concerns is the silent threat of heavy metal toxicity,a modern challenge that calls for both awareness and action.A single gram of mercury which is a potent and widespread aquatic contaminant,can contaminate a 20-acre lake to the extent that fish from the lake may become unsafe for human consumption.On the other hand,the wide application of HM-based chemical substances such as insecticides(market value of 19.5 billion USD in the year 2022 worldwide which is expected to increase by 28 billion USD by 2027)is growing signifi-cantly.This alarming fact highlights the far-reaching consequences of heavy metal pollution in our precious aquatic environments.The current review discusses one of the global issues which is bio-accumulation of heavy metals(HMs)in fish,concerns related to HM bioaccumulation,gathered data on HM concentrations in various fish organs,and research gaps primarily within India.The critical approach is made by emphasizing the intricate connection between the food chain and HM bioaccumulation,highlighting the consequent transfer of contaminants to humans.The scope of this article also covers the severity of toxicity induced by HMs in both humans and fish.Overall,this review serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the emerging issues concerning HM bioaccumulation in fish and its impact on human health highlighting the need for extensive studies in relevant areas.