Investigation of accelerated aging of lignin-containing polymer materials.

This paper presents the results of an accelerated aging test of biocomposites containing kraft lignin, where the resistance of the materials against humidity and light exposure was investigated. Low molecular weight lignin, modified with methacrylic anhydride (LWL-Met), was copolymerized with two commercial monomers: styrene (St) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The biocomposites were obtained by a bulk polymerization method using α,α'-azoiso-bis-butyronitrile (AIBN) as a free radical polymerization initiator. The Shore D hardness of the obtained materials was determined before and after aging test. The changes in the chemical structures of polymers, as the result of aging were analyzed by using the attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FT-IR) spectroscopy method. The thermal behavior and stability of the obtained materials were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The surface topography was determined using the optical topography method to evaluate the changes on the surface of synthesized materials resulted from accelerated aging. Application of modified lignin as a biocomponent in the polymerization process and its influence on the properties of the obtained materials before and after the accelerated aging test are discussed.

Temporal variation in the genotoxic potential of urban air particulate matter.

The main aim of this study was to compare the genotoxic potential of organic extracts from urban air particles collected in three different sampling periods in the center of Prague (Czech Republic). For this purpose, we analyzed the DNA adduct forming activity of extractable organic matter (EOM) from urban air particles <10 microm (PM10) in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. DNA adducts were analyzed by (32)P-postlabelling with nuclease P1 enrichment. PM10 concentrations were 36.9 microg/m(3), 62.6mug/m(3) and 39.0 microg/m(3), in summer 2000, winter 2001 and winter 2005, respectively. The corresponding EOM contents were 5.0 microg/m(3) (13.9% of PM10), 14.9 microg/m(3) (23.8%) and 6.7 microg/m(3) (17.2%). The total DNA adduct levels induced by 10 microg EOM/ml were 4.7, 19.5 and 37.2 adducts/10(8) nucleotides in summer 2000, winter 2001 and winter 2005, respectively. However, when the EOM quantities per cubic meter of air were taken into consideration, the summer sample exhibited a 10-fold lower genotoxicity than did those of winter, while the difference between the winter samples was not significant: 23.4 in summer 2000, 291 in winter 2001 and 249 in winter 2005 (in relative units). Although the PM10 concentration in air and the EOM content in particles in winter 2005 were significantly lower than in winter 2001, the genotoxic potential of the ambient air in these samples was almost equal. There were significant positive correlations between the B[a]P and c-PAH content in EOM from various sampling periods and the total DNA adduct levels detected in the EOM-treated samples. These findings support the hypothesis that the B[a]P and c-PAH content in EOM is the most important factor that determines its genotoxic potential. Thus, estimating the genotoxic potential of the ambient air and predicting health risk should be based mainly on the c-PAH concentration and the biological activity of the extracts, while the mass of particles and the EOM content do not seem to be crucial determinants of ambient air genotoxicity.

Biomarkers of air pollution exposure--a study of policemen in Prague.

The effect of exposure to organic compounds adsorbed onto respirable air particles (<2.5microm) on DNA adducts in lymphocytes was studied in a group of non-smoking policemen (N=109, aged 35+/-0.9 years) working in the downtown area of Prague and spending >8h daily outdoors. Personal exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (c-PAHs) adsorbed on respirable particles was monitored in each subject for 48h before biological sampling. DNA adducts were analyzed by a (32)P-postlabelling assay, and total DNA adduct levels and B[a]P-like spots were determined. Further biomarkers included cotinine levels in urine to control for exposure to tobacco smoke, plasma levels of vitamins A, E and C and polymorphisms of metabolic genotypes (GSTM1, GSTP1, GSTT1, CYP 1A1-Msp I and Ile/Val, MTHFR, MS), DNA repair genotypes (XRCC1, hOGG1 and XPD exons 6 and 23) and the p53 gene (p53 Msp I and BstU I). All the biomarkers of exposure and effect were analyzed repeatedly during a period of one year at 2-3 month intervals (January, March, June, September 2004) to cover periods with high (winter) and low (summer) levels of air pollution. The highest personal exposure to c-PAHs was found in January (8.1+/-8.8ng/m(3)), while the other three sampling periods exhibited 3-4-fold lower c-PAH exposure. The total DNA adducts were only slightly elevated in January (2.08+/-1.60) compared to March (1.66+/-0.65), June (1.96+/-1.73) and September (1.77+/-1.77). B[a]P-like DNA adducts, however, were significantly higher in January than in the March and June sampling periods (0.26+/-0.14 vs. 0.19+/-0.12 and 0.22+/-0.13, respectively; p<0.0001 and p=0.017) indicating that c-PAH exposure probably plays a crucial role in DNA adduct formation in lymphocytes. No effect of individual metabololic or DNA repair genotypes on DNA adduct levels was observed. However, the combination of two genotypes encoding enzymes metabolizing c-PAHs - CYP 1A1 and GSTM1 - was associated with the levels of total and B[a]P-like DNA adducts under conditions of increased exposure to c-PAHs. Our study suggests that DNA adducts in the lymphocytes of subjects exposed to increased c-PAH levels are an appropriate biomarker of a biologically effective dose, directly indicating whether or not the extent of exposure to these compounds is related to an increased mutagenic and carcinogenic risk.

In vitro genotoxicity of PAH mixtures and organic extract from urban air particles part II: human cell lines.

Principal aims of this study were at first, to find a relevant human derived cell line to investigate the genotoxic potential of PAH-containing complex mixtures and second, to use this cell system for the analysis of DNA adduct forming activity of organic compounds bound onto PM10 particles. Particles were collected by high volume air samplers during summer and winter periods in three European cities (Prague, Kosice, and Sofia), representing different levels of air pollution. The genotoxic potential of extractable organic matter (EOM) was compared with the genotoxic potential of individual carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (c-PAHs) as well as their artificial mixtures. Metabolically competent human hepatoma HepG2 cells, confluent cultures of human diploid lung fibroblasts (HEL), and the human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 were used as models. DNA adducts were analyzed by (32)P-postlabeling. The total DNA adduct levels induced in HepG2 cells after exposure to EOMs were higher than in HEL cells treated under the same conditions (15-190 versus 2-15adducts/10(8) nucleotides, in HepG2 and HEL cells, respectively). THP-1 cells exhibited the lowest DNA adduct forming activity induced by EOMs (1.5-3.7adducts/10(8) nucleotides). A direct correlation between total DNA adduct levels and c-PAH content in EOM was found for all EOMs in HepG2 cells incubated with 50microg EOM/ml (R=0.88; p=0.0192). This correlation was even slightly stronger when B[a]P content in EOMs and B[a]P-like adduct spots were analyzed (R=0.90; p=0.016). As THP-1 cells possess a limited metabolic capacity for most c-PAHs to form DNA reactive intermediates and are also more susceptible to toxic effects of PAHs and various EOM components, this cell line seemed to be an inappropriate system for genotoxicity studies of PAH-containing complex mixtures. The seasonal variability of genotoxic potential of extracts was stronger than variability among the three localities studied. In HepG2 cells, the highest DNA adduct levels were induced by EOM collected in Prague in the winter period, followed by Sofia and Kosice. However, in the summer sampling period, the order was quite opposite: Kosice>Sofia>Prague. When the EOM content per m(3) of air was taken into consideration in order to compare real exposures of humans to genotoxic compounds in all three localities, extracts from respirable dust particles collected in Sofia exhibited the highest genotoxicity regardless of the sampling period. The results indicate that most of DNA adducts detected in cells incubated with EOMs have their origin in low concentrations of c-PAHs representing 0.03-0.17% of EOM total mass. Finally, our results suggest that HepG2 cells have a metabolic capacity for PAHs similar to human hepatocytes and represent therefore the best in vitro model for investigating the genotoxic potential of complex mixtures containing PAHs among the three cell lines tested in this study.

In vitro genotoxicity of PAH mixtures and organic extract from urban air particles part I: acellular assay.

Acellular assay of calf thymus DNA+/-rat liver microsomal S9 fraction coupled with (32)P-postlabelling was used to study the genotoxic potential of organic compounds bound onto PM10 particles collected in three European cities-Prague (CZ), Kosice (SK) and Sofia (BG) during summer and winter periods. B[a]P alone induced DNA adduct levels ranging from 4.8 to 768 adducts/10(8) nucleotides in the concentration dependent manner. However, a mixture of 8 c-PAHs with equimolar doses of B[a]P induced 3.7-757 adducts/10(8) nucleotides, thus suggesting the inhibition of DNA adduct forming activity by interaction among various PAHs. Comparison of DNA adduct levels induced by various EOMs indicates higher variability among seasons than among localities. DNA adduct levels for Prague collection site varied from 19 to 166 adducts/10(8) nucleotides, for Kosice from 22 to 85 and for Sofia from 6 to 144 adducts/10(8) nucleotides. Bioactivation with S9 microsomal fraction caused 2- to 7-fold increase in DNA adduct levels compared to -S9 samples, suggesting a crucial role of indirectly acting genotoxic EOM components, such as PAHs. We have demonstrated for the first time a significant positive correlation between B[a]P content in EOMs and total DNA adduct levels detected in the EOM treated samples (R=0.83; p=0.04). These results suggest that B[a]P content in EOM is an important factor for the total genotoxic potential of EOM and/or B[a]P is a good indicator of the presence of other genotoxic compounds causing DNA adducts. Even stronger correlation between the content of genotoxic compounds in EOMs and total DNA adduct levels detected (R=0.94; p=0.005) was found when eight c-PAHs were taken into the consideration. Our findings support a hypothesis that a relatively limited number of EOM components is responsible for a major part of its genotoxicity detectable as DNA adducts by (32)P-postlabelling.

Dibenzanthracenes and benzochrysenes elicit both genotoxic and nongenotoxic events in rat liver 'stem-like' cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with molecular weight 278 are a group of PAHs that are mostly not covered by the current monitoring programs, despite their relative abundance in environmental samples and possible carcinogenicity. Although benzo[g]chrysene (BgChry) and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBahA) have been for a long time studied as genotoxic, tumour-initiating compounds, little is known about the potential tumour-promoting effects of this group of PAHs. In the present study, we investigated their impact on activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), induction of enzymes involved in metabolic activation of PAHs, disruption of cell cycle control in confluent cell population and inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), using the rat liver epithelial cell line WB-F344 as a model of liver progenitor cells. We found that BgChry was the weakest inducer of the AhR-mediated activity, while relative potencies of benzo[b]chrysene (BbChry) and benzo[c]chrysene (BcChry) were comparable to the previously reported values for dibenzanthracenes. All compounds increased expression of cytochromes P450 1A1 and 1B1, and aldo-keto reductase 1C9. BgChry was found to induce high amounts of DNA adducts, which corresponded with induction of p53 phosphorylation at Ser15, apoptosis and accumulation of cells in S-phase of cell cycle, leading to a decrease in cell numbers. All other compounds were found to stimulate cell proliferation in contact-inhibited WB-F344 cells in a dose-dependent manner. We found that only BgChry, and to a lesser extent also BcChry, inhibited GJIC at high concentrations. Taken together, dibenzanthracenes and benzochrysenes, with exception of BgChry, seem to act primarily through deregulation of cell proliferation in liver epithelial cells, which is related to their relatively high AhR-mediated activity. The disruption of cell cycle control might contribute to their carcinogenic effects, as well as to carcinogenicity of complex environmental mixtures containing high levels of PAHs with molecular weight 278.