A weight of evidence assessment of the genotoxic potential of 4-methylimidazole as a possible mode of action for the formation of lung tumors in exposed mice.

4-Methylimidazole (4-MeI) is a byproduct formed during the cooking of foods containing carbohydrates and amino acids, including the production of flavors and coloring substances, e.g., class III and IV caramel colors, used in many food products with extensive human exposure. Two-year rodent bioassays via oral exposure conducted by the National Toxicology Program reported evidence of carcinogenicity only in B6C3F1 mice (increased alveolar/bronchial neoplasms). In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified 4-MeI as Group 2B, "possibly carcinogenic to humans". An expert panel was commissioned to assess the genotoxic potential of 4-MeI and the plausibility of a genotoxic mode of action in the formation of lung tumors in mice when exposed to high doses of 4-MeI. The panel defined and used a weight-of-evidence (WOE) approach that included thorough evaluation of studies assessing the genotoxic potential of 4-MeI. The panelists categorized each study, consisting of study weight, degree of technical performance, study reliability, and contribution to the overall WOE. Based on the reviewed studies' weighted contribution, the panel unanimously concluded that the WOE supports no clear evidence of in vivo genotoxicity of 4-MeI and no association for a genotoxic mode of action in the formation of mouse lung tumors.

Total Body Irradiation in the "Hematopoietic" Dose Range Induces Substantial Intestinal Injury in Non-Human Primates.

The non-human primate has been a useful model for studies of human acute radiation syndrome (ARS). However, to date structural changes in various parts of the intestine after total body irradiation (TBI) have not been systematically studied in this model. Here we report on our current study of TBI-induced intestinal structural injury in the non-human primate after doses typically associated with hematopoietic ARS. Twenty-four non-human primates were divided into three groups: sham-irradiated control group; and total body cobalt-60 (60Co) 6.7 Gy gamma-irradiated group; and total body 60Co 7.4 Gy gamma-irradiated group. After animals were euthanized at day 4, 7 and 12 postirradiation, sections of small intestine (duodenum, proximal jejunum, distal jejunum and ileum) were collected and fixed in 10% formalin. The intestinal mucosal surface length, villus height and crypt depths were assessed by computer-assisted image analysis. Plasma citrulline levels were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Total bone marrow cells were counted and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow were analyzed by flow cytometer. Histopathologically, all segments exhibited conspicuous disappearance of plicae circulares and prominent atrophy of crypts and villi. Intestinal mucosal surface length was significantly decreased in all intestinal segments on day 4, 7 and 12 after irradiation (P < 0.02-P < 0.001). Villus height was significantly reduced in all segments on day 4 and 7 (P = 0.02-0.005), whereas it had recovered by day 12 (P > 0.05). Crypt depth was also significantly reduced in all segments on day 4, 7 and 12 after irradiation (P < 0.04-P < 0.001). Plasma citrulline levels were dramatically reduced after irradiation, consistent with intestinal mucosal injury. Both 6.7 and 7.4 Gy TBI reduced total number of bone marrow cells. And further analysis showed that the number and function of CD45(+)CD34(+) hematopoietic stem/progenitors in bone marrow decreased significantly. In summary, TBI in the hematopoietic ARS dose range induces substantial intestinal injury in all segments of the small bowel. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining the mucosal barrier that separates the gut microbiome from the body's interior after TBI.

Bisphenol A: Update on newly developed data and how they address NTP's 2008 finding of "Some Concern".

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in many commercial products including coatings and liners of food containers. Low levels of BPA can be detected in over 90% of human urine samples in the US, indicating that exposure to BPA is widespread. In 2008, the US National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (NTP-CERHR) expressed concerns regarding BPA's potential health effects, and suggested improved study designs and methodologies that they believed would address those concerns. This paper discusses some of the controversial issues surrounding BPA, summarizes the current regulatory status of BPA, reviews recent pharmacokinetic studies, and describes ongoing and planned research on the effects of BPA. In addition, we evaluate two papers studying BPA neurobehavioral effects, identified by the European Food Safety Authority and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment as being valid for use in risk assessment, to determine whether they address the NTP-CERHR methodological concerns. The data from these studies would likely be sufficient for NTP to lower its concern level for neurobehavioral effects of BPA. At this time, many regulatory agencies from around the world support the use of BPA in food contact materials.

Oral glucosamine increases expression of transforming growth factor ß1 (TGFß1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) mRNA in rat cartilage and kidney: implications for human efficacy and toxicity.

Glucosamine is used for alleviating pain in osteoarthritis. Clinical trials have reported that glucosamine has equivocal efficacy. Glucosamine is also used in cell cultures to stimulate hexosamine flux and protein O-glycosylation, but at many-fold greater concentrations than those in human plasma following oral dosing. Lean Zucker rats were dosed orally for 6 weeks with glucosamine hydrochloride at doses (0-600 mg/kg/day) that produced peak serum concentrations of <1-35 µM, spanning the human exposure range. Relative expression of both TGFß1 and CTGF mRNA were significantly increased up to 2.3-fold in liver, kidney and articular cartilage when evaluated 4h after final dose. Apparent threshold serum glucosamine (C(max)) concentration required to increase TGFß1 expression in cartilage was 10-20 µM. These increases were associated with significant increases in UDP-N-acetylglucosamine concentrations suggesting increased hexosamine flux. Both TGFß1 and CTGF are mediators of chondrocyte proliferation and cartilage repair. Study demonstrates that oral glucosamine doses that produce clinically relevant serum glucosamine concentrations can induce tissue TGFß1 and CTGF expression in vivo and provides a mechanistic rationale for reported beneficial effects of glucosamine therapy. Induction of renal TGFß1 and CTGF mRNA suggests that potential sclerotic side-effects may occur following consumption of potent glucosamine preparations.

Modifying a displacement pump for oral gavage dosing of solution and suspension preparations to adult and neonatal mice.

To assess a drug's toxic or carcinogenic effects on neonatal and adult mice and rats, researchers often carry out oral gavage studies. Whether dosed singly or in various combinations, provided as soluble solutions or as colloidal suspensions, the drug must be delivered in accurate and precise doses. For studies that require newborn mice to receive multiple daily doses, delicately handling neonates to increase their chances of surviving is just as critical as the ability to accurately dose small volumes. To help ensure accurate and precise delivery of drug doses ranging from 5 microl for neonatal mice to 400 microl for adults, the authors adapted an automated pipetting system. By slightly modifying standard gavage needles, the authors delivered, on average, 98-99% of targeted dose volumes to neonatal mice.

Effect of (+)-usnic acid on mitochondrial functions as measured by mitochondria-specific oligonucleotide microarray in liver of B6C3F1 mice.

Usnic acid is a lichen metabolite used as a weight-loss dietary supplement due to its uncoupling action on mitochondria. However, its use has been associated with severe liver disorders in some individuals. Animal studies conducted thus far evaluated the effects of usnic acid on mitochondria primarily by measuring the rate of oxygen consumption and/or ATP generation. To obtain further insight into usnic acid-mediated effects on mitochondria, we examined the expression levels of 542 genes associated with mitochondrial structure and functions in liver of B6C3F(1) female mice using a mitochondria-specific microarray. Beginning at 8 weeks of age, mice received usnic acid at 0, 60, 180, and 600 ppm in ground, irradiated 5LG6 diet for 14 days. Microarray analysis showed a significant effect of usnic acid on the expression of several genes only at the highest dose of 600 ppm. A prominent finding of the study was a significant induction of genes associated with complexes I through IV of the electron transport chain. Moreover, several genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, the Krebs cycle, apoptosis, and membrane transporters were over-expressed. Usnic acid is a lipophilic weak acid that can diffuse through mitochondrial membranes and cause a proton leak (uncoupling). The up-regulation of complexes I-IV may be a compensatory mechanism to maintain the proton gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane. In addition, induction of fatty acid oxidation and the Krebs cycle may be an adaptive response to uncoupling of mitochondria.

Body weight considerations in the B6C3F1 mouse and the use of dietary control to standardize background tumor incidence in chronic bioassays.

In B6C3F1 mice, the rate of body growth influences susceptibility to liver neoplasia and large variations in body weight can complicate the interpretation of bioassay data. The relationship between body weight and liver tumor incidence was calculated for historical control populations of male and female ad libitum-fed mice (approx. 2,750 and 2,300 animals, respectively) and in populations of male and female mice which had been subjected to forced body weight reduction due to either dietary restriction or exposure to noncarcinogenic chemicals (approx. 1,600 and 1,700, respectively). Resulting tumor risk data were then used to construct idealized weight curves for male and female B6C3F1 mice; these curves predict a terminal background liver tumor incidence of 15-20%. Use of dietary control to manipulate body growth of male B6C3F1 mice to fit the idealized weight curve was evaluated in a 2-year bioassay of chloral hydrate. Cohorts of mice were successfully maintained at weights approximating their idealized target weights throughout the study. These mice exhibited less body weight variation than their ad libitum-fed counterparts (e.g., standard deviations of body weight were 1.4 and 3.4 g for respective control groups at 36 weeks). Historical control body weight and tumor risk data from the two male mouse populations were utilized to predict background liver tumor rates for each experimental group of the chloral hydrate study. The predicted background tumor rates closely matched the observed rates for both the dietary controlled and ad libitum-fed chloral hydrate control groups when each mouse was evaluated according to either its weekly food consumption or its weekly change in body weight.

Dietary controlled carcinogenicity study of chloral hydrate in male B6C3F1 mice.

Chloral hydrate, which is used as a sedative in pediatric medicine and is a by-product of water chlorination, is hepatocarcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice, a strain that can exhibit high rates of background liver tumor incidence, which are associated with increased body weight. In this study, dietary control was used to manipulate body growth in male B6C3F1 mice in a 2-year bioassay of chloral hydrate. Male B6C3F1 mice were treated with water or 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg chloral hydrate by gavage. The study compared ad libitum-fed mice with dietary controlled mice. The latter received variably restricted feed allocations to maintain their body weights on a predetermined "idealized" weight curve predictive of a terminal background liver tumor incidence of 15-20%. These mice exhibited less individual body weight variation than did their ad libitum-fed counterparts. This was associated with a decreased variation in liver to body weight ratios, which allowed the demonstration of a statistically significant dose response to chloral hydrate in the dietary controlled, but not the ad libitum-fed, test groups. Chloral hydrate increased terminally adjusted liver tumor incidence in both dietary controlled (23.4, 23.9, 29.7, and 38.6% for the four dose groups, respectively) and ad libitum-fed mice (33.4, 52.6, 50.6, and 46.2%), but a statistically significant dose response was observed only in the dietary controlled mice. This dose response positively correlated with markers of peroxisomal proliferation in the dietary controlled mice only. The study suggests that dietary control not only improves terminal survival and decreases interassay variation, but also can increase assay sensitivity by decreasing intra-assay variation.

Toxicokinetics of chloral hydrate in ad libitum-fed, dietary-controlled, and calorically restricted male B6C3F1 mice following short-term exposure.

Chloral hydrate is widely used as a sedative in pediatric medicine and is a by-product of water chlorination and a metabolic intermediate in the biotransformation of trichloroethylene. Chloral hydrate and its major metabolite, trichloroacetic acid, induce liver tumors in B6C3F1 mice, a strain that can exhibit high rates of background liver tumor incidence, which is associated with increased body weight. This report describes the influence of diet and body weight on the acute toxicity, hepatic enzyme response, and toxickinetics of chloral hydrate as part of a larger study investigating the carcinogenicity of chloral hydrate in ad libitum-fed and dietary controlled mice. Dietary control involves moderate food restriction to maintain the test animals at an idealized body weight. Mice were dosed with chloral hydrate at 0, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg daily, 5 days/week, by aqueous gavage for 2 weekly dosing cycles. Three diet groups were used: ad libitum, dietary control, and 40% caloric restriction. Both dietary control and caloric restriction slightly reduced acute toxicity of high doses of chloral hydrate and potentiated the induction of hepatic enzymes associated with peroxisome proliferation. Chloral hydrate toxicokinetics were investigated using blood samples obtained by sequential tail clipping and a microscale gas chromatography technique. It was rapidly cleared from serum within 3 h of dosing. Trichloroacetate was the major metabolite in serum in all three diet groups. Although the area under the curve values for serum trichloroacetate were slightly greater in the dietary controlled and calorically restricted groups than in the ad libitum-fed groups, this increase did not appear to completely account for the potentiation of hepatic enzyme induction by dietary restriction.

Dietary exposure to genistein increases vasopressin but does not alter beta-endorphin in the rat hypothalamus.

Genistein is a plant-derived estrogenic isoflavone commonly found in soy-based products such as soymilk and soy-based dietary supplements for treating menopausal symptoms, for example. Vasopressin is a neurosecretory nonapeptide synthesized primarily in neurons of the hypothalamus and secreted into the bloodstream from the posterior lobe of the pituitary. The endogenous opiate peptide beta-endorphin is synthesized both in neurons of the hypothalamus and in pituitary cells, primarily of the neurointermediate lobe. It has been reported that exposure to 17beta-estradiol or diethylstilbesterol increased the vasopressin content of the hypothalamus, and that estradiol valerate selectively damages hypothalamic beta-endorphin-containing neurons. Since little was known of the potential effects of estrogenic endocrine-disruptor compounds on hypothalamic neuropeptides, we fed Sprague-Dawley fetuses from day 7 in utero until sacrifice at postnatal day 77, with either a control diet (<1 ppm) or an experimental diet containing 25, 250, or 1250 ppm of genistein. We then conducted ELISA assays for hypothalamic content of both beta-endorphin and vasopressin immunoreactivity. Whereas there were no statistically reliable effects of dietary genistein on hypothalamic beta-endorphin content, vasopressin levels were significantly elevated in the 1250-ppm genistein group (p < 0.05). Elevated vasopressin levels may be associated with fluid balance, altered blood pressure, and cardiovascular effects. These data are consistent with the known actions of estradiol and may serve to explain our finding in a previous study that estrogenic endocrine-disruptors such as genistein increased sodium preference in rats exposed through their diet.