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Application potential of screening in vitro toxicological assays in qualitative risk assessment of nanomaterials
Závodná, Táňa ; Topinka, Jan ; Danihelka, J.
Undeniable benefits of engineered nanomaterials might be discredited by their potential enhanced or unexpected toxicity arising from nano-specific properties and behavior. An analysis of the applicability of the traditional chemical risk assessment approach in nanomaterials revealed high levels of uncertainty in both hazard characterization and exposure assessment due to the lack of relevant validated methods and reliable data. This indicates the limited capability of the conventional risk assessment approach to ensure the safe use of nanomaterials. Based on the identified uncertainties, the control banding approach was proposed as a suitable tool for preliminary qualitative risk assessment of nanomaterials in occupational settings. Control banding categorizes hazard and exposure into levels referred to as bands. The combination of the hazard and exposure bands results in a risk band determining the necessary degree of control and regulatory measures. To decrease the number of cases where, based on the precautionary principle, unavailable experimental or field data would lead to the assignment to the highest hazard category requiring costly exposure control, screening evaluation of nanomaterial toxicity was proposed as an additional decision criterion. For this purpose, a battery of in vitro toxicological assays enabling screening evaluation of potential toxic effects of NMs was proposed. The assays evaluate endpoints covering basic toxic effects of substances (cytotoxicity, genotoxicity), as well as known nonspecific mechanisms of toxicity typical for nanomaterials (oxidative stress, inflammation). The proposed risk management strategy is intended to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to implement adequate measures to ensure employee safety.
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The role of dispersion medium on nanoparticle aggregation and size in biological systems
Červená, Tereza ; Rössnerová, Andrea ; Závodná, Táňa ; Vrbová, Kristýna ; Sikorová, Jitka ; Topinka, Jan ; Rössner ml., Pavel
The use of nanomaterials (NMs) in different areas has been rising for more than a decade. Along with this growth, there is visible development of different testing tools and approaches for measuring the actual size of nanomaterials in biological systems. Test conditions during in vitro toxicological assays are different from the standard conditions under which nanomaterials are characterized and careful evaluation of results is needed. The unique properties and range variety of NMs require the close look how the NMs behave in different dispersion medium over time. In this study we present the results of five types of well-characterized NMs (TiO2: NM-101 and NM-103, SiO2: NM-200, Ag: NM-300K and NM-302) of specific size and shape. The hydrodynamic size and Zeta potentials in suspensions were measured using a dynamic light scattering technique (DLS) (Zetasizer Nano ZS, Malvern, UK). The DLS method is suitable for spherical particles, nevertheless, all samples were measured in order to obtain a rough insight into agglomerate formation in the medium. NM300, NM302, and NM200 aggregated rapidly in the media, thus the cells would be most likely exposed to settled big aggregates then small clusters or individual particles. More stable NMs (NM100 and NM103) showed slight grow along with cultivation time or concentration corresponding to cluster formation. Cells exposed to those NMs would be in contact with small clusters and aggregates of NMs. Measured zeta potentials fluctuated around the stability limit corresponding to observed aggregation.
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Ultrafine particles and their possible role in etiology and development of neurodegenerative diseases
Topinka, Jan ; Závodná, Táňa ; Rössnerová, Andrea ; Rössner ml., Pavel
Air pollutants have been shown to cause a vast amount of different adverse health effects. These effects include impairment of many respiratory (e.g. asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and cardiovascular (ischemic heart disease, infarction, stroke) diseases. However, in recent years, the evidence showing effects beyond the lungs and circulatory system are becoming more evident. Neurological diseases, namely Alzheimer's disease (AD) has shown to be associated with living near traffic. However, reason for this has remained unresolved until today. Our new H2020 project TUBE aims on revealing the mechanisms of action of ultrafine particles involved in neurological diseases. The TUBE consortium includes experts in areas of aerosol technology, emission research, engine and fuel research, human clinical studies, epidemiology, emission inventories, inhalation toxicology, neurotoxicology and disease mechanism studies. This enables research of resolving the effects of nanoparticles from different traffic modes for both air quality and concomitant toxic effect of these air pollutants. We will investigate adverse effects of air pollutants using cell cultures, animal exposures and volunteered human exposures as well as the material from epidemiological cohort study. These are going to be compared according to inflammatory, cytotoxic and genotoxic changes and furthermore beyond the current state of the art to neurotoxic and brain health effects. With this approach, we are aiming to a comprehensive understanding of the adverse brain effects of nanoparticles from traffic.
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Toxic responses in human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) exposed to particulate matter exhaust emissions from gasoline and biogasoline
Závodná, Táňa ; Líbalová, Helena ; Vrbová, Kristýna ; Sikorová, Jitka ; Vojtíšek-Lom, M. ; Beránek, V. ; Pechout, M. ; Kléma, J. ; Cigánek, M. ; Machala, M. ; Neča, J. ; Rössner ml., Pavel ; Topinka, Jan
Motor vehicle emissions substantially contribute to air pollution worldwide and cause serious health problems. While the deleterious effects of diesel exhaust particulate matter (PM) have been widely studied, much less attention is paid to toxicity of PM emitted by gasoline engines although they also produce considerable amount of PM. The primary objective of this research was to assess toxic potencies of exhaust PM released by conventional gasoline engine fueled with neat gasoline (EU) or gasoline-ethanol blend (15% ethanol, v/v, E15). Despite a similar particle mass (mu g PM/kg fuel) produced by both fuels, PM emitted by E15 contained higher amount of harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as suggested by chemical analysis. To examine the toxicity of organic PM constituents, human lung BEAS-2B cells were exposed for 4h and 24h to a subtoxic dose of E0 and E15 PM organic extracts. We used genome scale transcriptomic analysis to characterize the toxic response and to identify modulated biological process and pathways. Whereas 4h exposure to both PM extracts resulted in modulation of similar genes and pathways related to lipid and steroid metabolism, activation of PPAR alpha, oxidative stress and immune response, 24h exposure was more specific for each extract, although both induced expression of PAH-metabolic enzymes, modulated metabolism of lipids or activated PPAR alpha, E15 additionally deregulated variety of other pathways. Overall, the PM mass produced by both fuels was similar, however, higher PAH content in E15 PM organic extract may have contributed to more extensive toxic response particularly after 24h exposure in BEAS-2B cells.
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