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In vitro biotransformation rates were determined for 30 chemicals, mostly fragrance ingredients, using trout liver S9 fractions (RT-S9) and incorporated into in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) models to predict bioconcentration factors (BCFs). Predicted BCFs were compared against empirical BCFs to explore potential major uncertainties involved in the in vitro methods and IVIVE models: (i) in vitro chemical test concentrations; (ii) different gill uptake rate constant calculations (k1); (iii) protein binding (different calculations and measurement of the fraction of unbound chemical, fU); (iv) species differences; and (v) extrahepatic biotransformation. Predicted BCFs were within 0.5 log units for 44% of the chemicals compared to empirical BCFs, whereas 56% were overpredicted by >0.5 log units. This trend of overprediction was reduced by alternative k1 calculations to 32% of chemicals being overpredicted. Moreover, hepatic in vitro rates scaled to whole body biotransformation rates (kB) were compared against in vivo kB estimates. In vivo kB was underestimated for 79% of the chemicals. Neither lowering the test concentration, nor incorporation of new measured fU values, nor species matching avoided the tendency to overpredict BCFs indicating that further improvements to the IVIVE models are needed or extrahepatic biotransformation plays an underestimated role.

A number of para-substituted benzoic acids (p-BA) and chemicals metabolized to p-BA have been found to confer adverse effects in male rats on sperm viability, motility, and morphology. These effects are putatively associated with the metabolism of p-BA to toxic intermediates. We had shown that p-BA lead to accumulation of high levels of p-alkyl-benzoyl-CoA conjugates in plated primary rat hepatocytes. Here we further investigated the relevance of this metabolic pathway for the reprotoxic effects in rats and rabbits. We extended the structure-activity relationship to a set of 19 chemicals (nine reprotoxic and ten non-reprotoxic) and confirmed a very strong correlation between p-alkyl-benzoyl-CoA accumulation in rat hepatocytes and the toxic outcome. Species specificity was probed by comparing rat, rabbit and human hepatocytes, and p-benzoyl-CoA accumulation was found to be specific to the rat hepatocytes, not occurring in human hepatocytes. There was also very limited accumulation in hepatocytes from rabbits that are a non-responder species in in vivo studies. Tissues of rats treated with 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-2-methylpropanal were analysed and p-isopropyl-benzoyl-CoA conjugates were detected in the liver and in the testes in animals at toxic doses indicating that the metabolism observed in vitro is relevant to the in vivo situation and the critical metabolite does also occur in the reproductive tissue. These multiple lines of evidence further support benzoyl-CoA accumulation as a key initiating event for a specific group of male reproductive toxicants, and indicate a species-specific effect in the rat.

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch) Several aromatic aldehydes such as 3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methylpropanal were shown to adversely affect the reproductive system in male rats following oral gavage dose of ≥ 25 mg/kg bw/d. It was hypothesized that these aldehydes are metabolized to benzoic acids such as p-tert-butylbenzoic acid as key toxic principle and that Coenzyme A (CoA) conjugates may be formed from such acids. Here we performed a detailed structure activity relationship study on the formation of benzoic acids from p-alkyl-phenylpropanals and related chemicals in rat hepatocytes in suspension. Formation of CoA conjugates from either p-alkyl-phenylpropanals directly or from their benzoic acid metabolites was further assessed in plated rat hepatocytes using high resolution LC-MS. All of the test chemicals causing reproductive adverse effects in male rats formed p-alkyl-benzoic acids in rat hepatocytes in suspension. Compounds metabolized to p-alkyl-benzoic acids led to accumulation of p-alkyl-benzoyl-CoA conjugates at high and steady levels in plated rat hepatocytes, whereas CoA conjugates of most other xenobiotic acids were only transiently detected in this in vitro system. The correlation between this metabolic fate and the toxic outcome may indicate that accumulation of the alkyl-benzoyl-CoA conjugates in testicular cells could impair male reproduction by adversely affecting CoA-dependent processes required for spermatogenesis. This hypothesis prompted a search for new p-alkyl-phenylpropanal derivatives which do not form benzoic acid metabolites and the corresponding CoA conjugates. It was found that such metabolism did not occur with a derivative containing an o-methyl substituent, ie, 3-(4-isobutyl-2-methylphenyl)propanal. This congener preserved the fragrance quality but lacked the male reproductive toxicity in a 28-day rat study, as predicted from its in vitro metabolism.

Hydroperoxides can act as specific haptens and oxidatively modify proteins. Terpene hydroperoxides trigger unusually high frequencies of positive skin reactions in human patients if tested at high concentrations. It is unknown whether this is due to specific hapten formation. Here, we show that both terpene hydroperoxides and the endogenous hydroperoxide formed from squalene can oxidatively modify tryptophan. Oxidative modifications of Trp were recently postulated to explain cross-sensitization between unrelated photosensitizers. Current observations may extend this hypothesis: Oxidative events triggered by endogenous hydroperoxides and hydroperoxides/oxidants derived from xenobiotics might lead to a sensitized state detected by patch tests with high concentrations of hydroperoxides.

Today, UHMWPE implants are stabilized with α-tocopherol and cross-linked by irradiation in order to reduce wear. Little is known about the structural transformation of the antioxidant α-tocopherol upon irradiation. In the present investigation, the major irradiation reaction products of α-tocopherol dissolved at 0.1 wt.% in liquid model hydrocarbons were characterized spectroscopically and by independent synthesis. We observed only a single product group, namely phenolic alkyl ethers formed by radical recombination of a phenoxyl radical with a secondary alkyl radical. The irradiation dose is the parameter which controls the amount of consumption of α-tocopherol. At a dose of 27.5 kGy, 31–34% of α-tocopherol was transformed into the corresponding ether, while at 97.9 kGy, the degree of transformation was 68–76%. The observed ether formation in the liquid model hydrocarbons explains two significant observations for the α-tocopherol stabilized polymers, namely depletion of the α-tocopherol's phenol group upon irradiation and “grafting”, i.e. formation of a chemical bond between the polymer and its antioxidant.