3T3 NRU Research Articles

Comprehensive assessment of the photomutagenicity, photogenotoxicity and photo(cyto)toxicity of azulene

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon azulene and its naturally occurring derivative guaiazulene (1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene) are known to absorb light in the UV–vis region of the spectrum. Both compounds were reported to be mutagenic in the Salmonella typhimurium bacterial mutagenicity assay (Ames test) in strain TA102, and to cause DNA damage in the comet assay in vitro upon exposure to UVA light. In contrast, another study reported a photoprotective effect in vitro of guaiazulene. We present here a comprehensive assessment of the photo(cyto)toxicity (3T3 fibroblast Neutral Red uptake test), the photomutagenicity (Ames test) and photogenotoxicity (comet assay and micronucleus test in L5178Y cells in vitro) of azulene. In the Ames test, the mutagenicity of azulene was assessed in the presence and absence of UV light by use of the Salmonella strains TA102, TA104, TA2638 and E. coli WP2. Azulene was irradiated before being plated with bacteria (pre-irradiation), or concomitantly with the bacteria either after plating or while in suspension. Guaiazulene was included in some of the experiments. Neither in the photo-Ames test nor in the other photogenotoxicity tests, azulene or guaiazulene showed any photomutagenic or photogenotoxic activity. Weak photo(cyto)toxicity (estimate of PIF ≥ 1.67) was observed with azulene in the 3T3 NRU test, the Alamar Blue test and the relative cell count, which may be due to the generation of reactive oxygen species, as reported recently.

In Vitro Antitumor Activity and Safety Testing of an Aminophosphonate Bearing a Furan Ring

ABSTRACTAminophosphonates, as structural analogues of natural α- aminocarboxylic acids, constitute a valuable class of compounds with a wide spectrum of biological activity, including treatment of metabolic disorders and cancer. A recently synthesized furan-bearing aminophosphonate, namely N,N-dimethyl-[N'-methyl(diethoxyphosphonyl)-(2-furyl)]-1,3-diaminopropane was tested for in vitro antitumor activity on six human epithelial cancer cell lines. Safety testing of the compound was performed both in vitro (3T3 NRU test) and in vivo on ICR mice for genotoxicity and antiproliferative activity. The tested aminophosphonate showed high in vitro antitumor activity towards HepG2 cell line (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and 647-V cell line (human bladder carcinoma). In addition, this furan-containing aminophosphonate had a moderate genotoxic and antiproliferative activity in vivo and exhibited complete absence of toxicity to Balb/c 3T3 (clone 31) mouse embryo cells.

Development of a mechanistic SAR model for the detection of phototoxic chemicals and use in an integrated testing strategy

Phototoxicity is of increasing concern in dermatology, since modern lifestyle is often associated with exposure to sunlight. The most commonly reported process is via oxidative reactions. Therefore characterizing the “photo-pro-oxidant” potential of a compound early in its industrial development is of utmost interest, especially for compounds likely to undergo sunlight exposure in skin. Today there is a need for filtering compounds to be tested in the 3T3 neutral red uptake in vitro test for phototoxicity since testing requires resources. A computational model aiming at predicting the mechanisms that imply the generation of reactive oxygen species was developed using a diverse set of 56 chemicals having 3T3 NRU data. An historical mechanistic (Q)SAR model developed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was used to derive the new mechanistic model: descriptors were selected upfront to describe the modeled phenomenon. The historical parabolic relationships between phototoxicity and the energy gap ( E GAP) between energies of the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital was confirmed. The model predicts chemicals to be “phototoxic or photodegradable”, or “non-phototoxic and non-photodegradable”. A four-step testing strategy is proposed to enable the reduction of experimental testing with the in silico model implemented as a first screen.

Phototoxicity of essential oils intended for cosmetic use

The aim of this study, linked-up with a previous study on bergamot oils, was the evaluation of phototoxic potential of essential oils (orange, lemon and Litsea cubeba), used as cosmetic ingredients. The applied tiered testing strategy included chemical analysis of the substances (by means of capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), in vitro 3T3 NRU phototoxicity test and EpiDerm™ skin phototoxicity test. In order to clarify the situation in man, the highest non-phototoxic/non-cytotoxic concentrations and concentrations 10× lower (safety factor 10) were tested in vivo by means of human skin photopatch test in a limited group of human volunteers. The study revealed, that phototoxicity of the essential oils was dependent on the content of photoactive components and the solvent used. The highest non-phototoxic concentrations obtained by the skin model assay proved to be a useful starting point for subsequent confirmatory human photopatch test aimed to identify safe concentration for human use. However, the highest non-phototoxic concentration obtained in the skin model assay cannot be applied directly for human practice (3 of 8 tested oils evoked a phototoxic reaction). A safety factor of 10 should be applied for extrapolation of experimental data from the skin model assay to man.

Smoothened antagonists for hair inhibition

A series of aminomethylpyrazoles were prepared and evaluated using cell-based Smoothened β-lactamase reporter assay and Smoothened binding assay. Potent Smoothened antagonists 10k and 10l were found to inhibit hair growth in vivo in the C3H/HeN mouse hair growth model. The more selective compound 10l was tested negative in the 3T3 NRU assay, indicating a low risk for causing photo-irritation and was efficacious using the C3H/HeN mouse hair growth model although it was slightly less efficacious than that of the reference compound eflornithine ( 7).

High-Throughput Screening System for Identifying Phototoxic Potential of Drug Candidates Based on Derivatives of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites

The present study aimed to develop a high-throughput screening strategy for predicting the phototoxic potential of pharmaceutical substances, using a derivatives-of-reactive-oxygen-metabolites (D-ROM) assay. The assay conditions of the D-ROM assay were optimized with a focus on screening run time, sensitivity, solvent system, and reproducibility. The phototoxic potentials of 25 model compounds were assessed by the D-ROM assay, as well as by other screening systems for comparison, including the reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, the DNA-photocleavage assay, and the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test (3T3 NRU PT). Some phototoxic drugs tended to yield D-ROM when exposed to simulated sunlight (250 W/m(2)), whereas D-ROM generation was negligible for non-phototoxic chemicals. Compared with the ROS assay, the assay procedure for the D-ROM assay was highly simplified with a marked reduction in screening run time. Comparative experiments also demonstrated that D-ROM data were related to the outcomes of the DNA-photocleavage assay and the 3T3 NRU PT, with prediction accuracies of 76 and 72%, respectively. The D-ROM assay has potential for identifying the phototoxic potential of a large number of new drugs as a 1st screening system in the early stages of drug discovery.

Review of the performance of the 3T3 NRU in vitro phototoxicity assay in the pharmaceutical industry

Based on current regulatory guidelines a substantial proportion of drug development portfolios within the pharmaceutical industry trigger the requirements for photosafety testing i.e. absorb light in the range 290–700 nm, and are either applied locally/topically, or ‘reach’ (EMEA)/‘significantly partition to’ (FDA) the skin or eyes. There has been growing concern within the pharmaceutical industry over recent years regarding the performance of the in vitro photosafety tests with respect to in vivo predictivity (in animals and in humans). Therefore, the Safety Ad hoc Group (SAHG) of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) commissioned a survey of member companies to better understand the triggers for photosafety testing and how in vitro hazard characterisation translated to in vivo risk (both in animal models and in humans). Data were collated for 361 compounds from 10 EFPIA member companies and the results of the phototoxicity survey are reported. Based on these results, it appears that the in vitro photosafety assays are substantially over predicting animal photosafety hazard in vivo and also human photosafety risk in the clinic. This raises concern regarding the use of in vitro photosafety assays for the assessment of chemical photosafety of pharmaceuticals for regulatory purposes. At the very least, a review of the current guidance documents for the photosafety evaluation of pharmaceuticals should be undertaken urgently.

Comparative study of skin phototoxicity with three drugs by an in vivo mouse model

Photosafety evaluation is becoming important during the drug development process in pharmaceutical companies. Both in vitro and in vivo test systems have been developed for the evaluation of phototoxic potential of chemicals. In the present study, we conducted an in vivo phototoxicity test using BALB/c mice. The mice were treated with sparfloxacin, lomefloxacin, or a quinoline derivative orally followed by the irradiation of simulated sunlight, and resulting phototoxic reactions of the ears were assessed. Sparfloxacin and lomefloxacin, but not the quinoline derivative, are well known to cause photoirritation in humans. All three drugs exhibited positive reaction in the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test (3T3 NRU PT). In the in vivo test, sparfloxacin and lomefloxacin exhibited positive skin reaction in mice, but the quinoline derivative did not. The results of in vivo phototoxicity test in the mice coincided with phototoxic potential of these drugs in humans. The exposure levels of sparfloxacin or lomefloxacin at the minimum effective dose that exhibited phototoxic reaction in the mice were comparable with those in humans treated with the recommended therapeutic dose.

An evaluation of chemical photoreactivity and the relationship to photogenotoxicity

In the accompanying paper ( Kleinman et al., submitted for publication), the link between phototoxicity and photoreactivity (i.e. production of singlet oxygen, superoxide and chemical photostability) has been established. It is proposed this may be used to refine existing triggers for photosafety testing. Using a series of compounds we have determined whether these photochemical reactivity measurements may be used to mechanistically predict phototoxic and/or photogenotoxic liability. Therefore, a subset of compounds tested in the in vitro 3T3 NRU assay from the accompanying paper were tested in the photo-chromosome aberration assay in CHO cells, using standard methodologies. The results of these studies indicate that photochemical analysis of compounds is a good predictor of in vitro phototoxicity, but not necessarily, photoclastogenicity. Further evidence from photostability experiments suggests that this is due to the differences in UVR irradiance and exposure conditions between the two assays. Nevertheless, this approach may provide a more robust trigger for the need to conduct in vitro and/or in vivo photosafety studies than simple UV/visible absorbance spectra.

Rational Design and Synthesis of 4-((1R,2R)-2-Hydroxycyclohexyl)-2(trifluoromethyl)benzonitrile (PF-998425), a Novel, Nonsteroidal Androgen Receptor Antagonist Devoid of Phototoxicity for Dermatological Indications

4-((1 R,2 R)-2-Hydroxycyclohexyl)-2(trifluoromethyl)benzonitrile [PF-0998425, (-)- 6a] is a novel, nonsteroidal androgen receptor antagonist for sebum control and treatment of androgenetic alopecia. It is potent, selective, and active in vivo. The compound is rapidly metabolized systemically, thereby reducing the risk of unwanted systemic side effects due to its primary pharmacology. (-)- 6a was tested negative in the 3T3 NRU assay, validating our rationale that reduction of conjugation might reduce potential phototoxicity.

Estimation of human blood LC50 values for use in modeling of in vitro–in vivo data of the ACuteTox project

The main aim of the ACuteTox project, under EU 6th Framework programme, is to investigate whether animal toxicity tests for acute systemic toxicity could be replaced by a combination of alternative assays. Data for 97 reference chemicals was collected in the ACuteTox database (Acutoxbase), designed to handle invitro and invivo (human and animal) lodged data. The principal basis for demonstration of the applicability of invitro tests is the invitro-invivo modeling, by using statistical correlation between invitro IC50 molar values (the 50% inhibitory concentration for the endpoints measured) and human blood molar concentrations LC50 (50% lethal concentrations). The LC50 values were calculated from time-related sub-lethal and lethal blood concentrations determined from human acute poisoning cases. The 3T3 standard NRU assay (3T3 NRU) was chosen, among the various basal cytotoxicity assays, applied in the ACuteTox project, to demonstrate the applicability of the IC50/LC50 values for invitro-invivo modeling. Linear regression analysis between IC50 (x) and LC50 (y) gave an explained variance R2=0.56 for the 67 reference chemicals, for which both sets of data were available. The results demonstrated usefulness of human LC50 values for invitro-invivo evaluation of the predictability of basal cytotoxicity assays for human acute systemic toxicity. The R2 value of 0.56 shows, as in the MEIC study, that additional organ-specific and biokinetic tests are needed in order to improve the predictability.

Successful validation of in vitro methods in toxicology by ZEBET, the National Centre for Alternatives in Germany at the BfR (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment)

A short description of the history of the 3Rs concept is given, which was developed as the scientific concept to refine, reduce and replace animal experiments by Russel and Burch more than 40 years ago. In addition, the legal framework in Europe for developing alternatives to animal experiments is given and the current status of in vitro systems in pharmacology and toxicology is described including an update on metabolising systems. The decrease in experimental animal numbers during the past decade in Europe is illustrated by the situation in Germany and the contribution of international harmonisation of test guidelines on reducing animal numbers in regulatory testing is described. A review of the development of the principles of experimental validation is given and the 3T3 NRU in vitro phototoxicity test is used as an example for a successful validation study, which led to the acceptance of the first in vitro toxicity test for regulatory purposes by the OECD. Finally, the currently accepted alternative methods for standardisation and safety testing of drugs, biologicals and medical devices are summarised.

Reactive oxygen species assay-based risk assessment of drug-induced phototoxicity: Classification criteria and application to drug candidates

We have previously demonstrated that the phototoxic potential of chemicals could be partly predicted by the determination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from photo-irradiated compounds. In this study, ROS assay strategy was applied to 39 marketed drugs and 210 drug candidates in order to establish provisional classification criteria for risk assessment of drug-induced phototoxicity. The photosensitizing properties of 39 model compounds consisting of phototoxic and non-phototoxic chemicals, as well as ca. 210 drug candidates including 11 chemical series were evaluated using ROS assay and the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test (NRU PT). With respect to marketed drugs, most phototoxic drugs tended to cause type I and/or II photochemical reactions, resulting in generation of singlet oxygen and superoxide. There seemed to be a clear difference between phototoxic drugs and non-phototoxic compounds in their abilities to induce photochemical reactions. A plot analysis of ROS data on the marked drugs provided classification criteria to discriminate the photosensitizers from non-phototoxic substances. Of all drug candidates tested, 35.2% compounds were identified as phototoxic or likely phototoxic on the basis of the 3T3 NRU PT, and all ROS data for these phototoxic compounds were found to be over the threshold value. Furthermore, 46.3% of non-phototoxic drug candidates were found to be in the subthreshold region. These results verify the usefulness of the ROS assay for understanding the phototoxicity risk of pharmaceutical substances, and the ROS assay can be used for screening purposes in the drug discovery stage.

The establishment and assessment on cosmetic products using 3T3 mouse fibroblast neutral red uptake phototoxicity assay

To establish the 3T3 mouse fibroblast neutral red uptake (NRU-PT) phototoxicity test method, and evaluate the practicality of the method in detecting potential phototoxicity of the cosmetic products. Fifteen phototoxic and 9 non-phototoxic chemicals were tested in our laboratories, the phototoxic potential of the test chemicals was evaluated in a prediction model in which either the photo irritation factor (PIF) or the mean photo effect (MPE) was compared with the coherence and sensitivity of the method. 20 kinds of functional cosmetics were detected and the results were analyzed by the 3T3 NRU-PT in vitro and Guinea pig skin phototoxicity test (in vivo). Both PIF and MPE of the chemicals were highly reproduced, and the correlation between in vitro and in vivo data was almost perfect. All the non-phototoxic provided a negative result, while 14 of the 15 phototoxic tested chemicals gave clear positive results. For cosmetics, the correlation between in vitro and in vivo data was consistent. The 3T3 NRU PT test was established successfully, it should be used as a good alternative method for assessing the phototoxic potential of the chemicals and cosmetics in China.

Phototoxicity of bergamot oil assessed by in vitro techniques in combination with human patch tests

The aim of this study was to clarify the differences in the phototoxicity of bergamot oil obtained from four different suppliers. Spectral and chemical analyses were performed to identify presence of photoactive compounds in the test samples. The phototoxicity was assessed in vitro by the 3T3 NRU phototoxicity test (PT) and subsequently in a phototoxicity test on reconstructed human skin model (H3D PT). Confirmatory photopatch tests in a group of volunteers were performed using the first non-phototoxic concentration determined in the H3D PT. The spectral and chemical analyses revealed, that two samples of bergamot oil exhibited a potential for photoactivation. These oils were subsequently classified as phototoxic in the 3T3 NRU PT, however, only on the basis of borderline results and depending on the solvent used. H3D PT revealed clear classifications, correlating well with the findings of spectral and chemical analysis. The test was, however, not yet capable of precise prediction of safe, non-phototoxic concentrations. Additional endpoints, e.g. interleukin determination might be employed to increase the sensitivity of the test. Although the study showed the usefulness of the tiered testing strategy, currently, the extrapolation of in vitro results to human situation may be performed only to a limited extent.

Improving Decision-Making in Drug Development Using In Vitro Toxicology Screening

The importance of in vitro methods for decision-making in drug development is shown for four important areas of pharmaceutical safety evaluations: genetic toxicology, safety pharmacology, phototoxicity and organ toxicity. Since in vitro screening and mechanistic in vitro investigations provide early information on toxicity, the safety of patients in clinical studies has been significantly improved by the performance of in vitro studies. In addition, the high throughput of in vitro technologies allows the pharmaceutical industry to eliminate toxic structures long before ‘first dose in human’ studies. In vitro organ toxicity models provide important mechanistic information. However, a comprehensive analysis of the predictivity of genetic toxicity tests for rodent carcinogenicity has revealed a major problem with the specificity of the in vitro mammalian cell assays, leading to a risk that the development of efficacious drug candidates might have been stopped because of false-positive in vitro results. Therefore, data from in vitro studies, including the recently introduced human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel inhibition test to predict QT interval prolongation and the in vitro 3T3 neutral red uptake (3T3 NRU) phototoxicity test to predict phototoxicity, should be used with great care for decision-making. All areas of in vitro safety assessments require significant refinements. Stem cell-derived cell lines and the use of ‘omics’ technologies are expected to make a major contribution to an improved future generation of in vitro screening assays.

Use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a pre-screening approach for assessment of chemical-induced phototoxicity

Photoreactive chemicals can induce dermatological reactions when present in the skin exposed to sunlight. Thus, new chemicals absorbing above 290 nm should have their potential phototoxicity tested. In order to screen a large number of molecules with various physico-chemical properties, a microbiological method is helpful. To this end, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated for its ability to detect phototoxic compounds. Twelve products known to be phototoxic in vivo and previously used as standards for validating the regulatory test 3T3 NRU were used in this work. Eleven of them could be detected in the yeast assay and, among them, 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), angelicin and, to a lower extend, tiaprofenic acid induced genetic alterations. Interestingly, a pre-incubation with yeast cells in the dark before exposure decreased the phototoxicity of 5-MOP and 8-MOP but had no effect on this of chlorpromazine and ketoprofen. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Salmonella typhimurium (strains TA100 and TA102) were compared for the evaluation of 5-MOP and 8-MOP photogenotoxicity; only the yeast assay allowed to perform experiments in exposure conditions close to those encountered in environmental situations. Finally, an application of this experimental approach to the detection of traces of furocoumarins in fragrance materials was developed.

Microelectronic cell sensor assay for detection of cytotoxicity and prediction of acute toxicity

This study reports in-house assessment of a real-time cell electronic sensing (RT-CES) system used as a test platform for both cytotoxicity assay and predicting acute toxicity. For cytotoxicity determination, the RT-CES assay displayed equal sensitivity and coefficients of variation values with good correlation to NRU assay. The IC 50 values and the LD 50 values for the cytotoxicity reference materials were compared in the context of the proposed prediction model for acute rodent toxicity. The results obtained from RT-CES assay fitted within the acceptance limits of the prediction model and showed that the RT-CES cytotoxicity assay met the qualification guidelines in NIH Publication #01-4500 to accurately predict acute toxicity. In addition to cell viability, the RT-CES assay provided dynamic information that can be used to identify maximum toxicity and reversibility of the toxic effects which are difficult to achieve by the endpoint assays and, therefore, the RT-CES assay is more accurate for assessment of cytotoxicity. The features of the RT-CES assay, such as labeling free, automatic detection, and easy operation, give this assay potential to replace BALB/c 3T3 NRU assay and be used as routine setting for drug monitoring in the toxicological laboratory.

Progress in Establishing in Vitro Alternatives to Animal Experiments - Ethical and Scientific Challenges

A short description of the history of the 3Rs concept is given, which was developed as the scientific concept to refine, reduce and replace animal experiments by Russel and Burch more than 40 years ago. In addition, the legal framework in Europe for developing alternatives to animal experiments is given and the current status of in vitro systems in pharmacology and toxicology is described including an up-date on metabolising systems. The decrease in experimental animal numbers during the past decade inEurope is illustrated by the situation in Germany and the contribution of international harmonisation of test guidelines on reducing animal numbers in regulatory testing is described. A review of the de-velopment of the principles of experimental validation is given and the 3T3 NRU in vitro phototoxicity test is used as an example for a successful validation study, which led to the acceptance of the first in vitro toxicity test for regulatory purposes by the OECD. In addition, a promising QSAR approach to identify the skin irritation potential of chemicals is described, which was developed at the BfR and is proposed for regulatory acceptance after critical evaluation by the European Commission. Finally, the currently accepted alternative methods for standardisation and safety testing of drugs, biologicals andmedical devices are summarised

Phototoxicity of bituminous tars—correspondence between results of 3T3 NRU PT, 3D skin model and experimental human data

Bituminous tars (Ichthammol and Ichthyol Pale) are widely used in pharmaceutical, veterinary and cosmetic industries for their anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic effects. In contrast to coal tar, no phototoxicity of bituminous tars has been reported in man, although both Ichthammol and Ichthyol Pale exhibit UV absorption which is higher and broader for the former. The validated 3T3 NRU phototoxicity test indicated phototoxic potential of both substances. The phototoxicity test in a 3D human skin model (EpiDerm) only confirmed phototoxicity for Ichthammol. Human data on Ichthammol phototoxicity are missing. A photopatch test in human volunteers was performed in order to clarify the discrepancy between the phototoxicity found in the skin model and the absence of reported human phototoxicity. Following 4 h exposure to 5% and 10% aqueous solutions of Ichthammol and Ichthyol Pale the test sites were irradiated with a UVA dose of 5 J/cm 2. Early phototoxic reaction (erythema) within 4–6 h after irradiation was only elicited by Ichthammol and not by Ichthyol Pale. These data correspond well with those from the 3D skin model test and suggest the necessity to employ several test systems for final phototoxicity assessment. In addition to the results obtained in 3T3 NRU PT, further testing on 3D skin models may better reflect bioavailability of a given chemical in the skin, relevant to the situation in humans.