{"title":"A case of infant death due to chlorfenapyr poisoning.","authors":"Limei Mo, Hongyan Wu, Li Zhao, Kang An","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.549","DOIUrl":"10.2131/jts.49.549","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chlorfenapyr is a novel pyrrole compound with the chemical formula C15H11BrClF3N2O, exhibiting potent insecticidal and acaricidal effects. It primarily acts on the multi-functional oxidases in the mitochondria of insects, inhibiting the conversion of adenosine diphosphate to adenosine triphosphate, leading to cellular dysfunction due to energy depletion. With increased production and market availability, the population's exposure to chlorfenapyr has risen, resulting in a growing number of fatal poisoning incidents. This report describes the clinical presentation, disease progression, and treatment outcomes of a 2-year and 11-month-old toddler poisoned with chlorfenapyr. The child exhibited symptoms of nausea and vomiting two hours post-poisoning, received gastric lavage and fluid replacement at the local hospital, and was subsequently transferred to our facility. On admission, the child's vital signs were stable for the first two days, with normal laboratory findings. On the third day, the child showed signs of fatigue and diaphoresis, followed by high fever, profuse sweating, altered consciousness, and muscle tremors on the fourth day. By the fifth day, the child displayed rigid muscles in the limbs and trunk, respiratory and circulatory failure, despite rescue efforts proving futile, leading to eventual demise.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 12","pages":"549-553"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142770095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Simultaneous analysis of caffeine and paraxanthine provides potentially useful indexes in the treatment of acute caffeine intoxication.","authors":"Yoshitaka Yamazaki, Asuka Kaizaki-Mitsumoto, Mariko Sato, Yumiko Inoue, Kazuyuki Miyamoto, Keisuke Suzuki, Munetaka Hayashi, Kenji Dohi, Satoshi Numazawa","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caffeine (CFF) is efficiently absorbed after ingestion, and approximately 80% of ingested CFF is metabolized to paraxanthine (PXT). Although PXT has approximately twice the adenosine receptor antagonist activity of CFF, there are few reports measuring the metabolite concentrations during CFF intoxication. Furthermore, no studies have examined the efficacy of hemodialysis (HD) on PXT or the indicators that contribute to treatment strategies for patients with acute CFF intoxication. This study analyzed the association between CFF and PXT blood levels, the blood biochemical data, and the vital signs of 27 cases with information on CFF intake and elapsed time data. It was found that HD was not as effective as CFF against PXT in CFF intoxication; however, HD was effective in cases with relatively high PXT concentrations (>10 μg/mL). Simultaneous analysis of CFF and PXT would make it possible to estimate the time elapsed from CFF intake and the risk of hyperCKemia, which may develop in cases left untreated for a prolonged period after ingestion. Therefore, the measurement of PXT, in addition to CFF, is expected to provide useful information for understanding the pathogenesis of CFF intoxication and the development of treatment strategies of acute CFF intoxication.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 10","pages":"447-457"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142365664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Novel predictive approaches for drug-induced convulsions in non-human primates using machine learning and heart rate variability analysis.","authors":"Kazuhiro Kuga, Motohiro Shiotani, Kentaro Hori, Hiroshi Mizuno, Yusaku Matsushita, Harushige Ozaki, Kohei Hayashi, Takatomi Kubo, Manabu Kano","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug-induced convulsions are a major challenge to drug development because of the lack of reliable biomarkers. Using machine learning, our previous research indicated the potential use of an index derived from heart rate variability (HRV) analysis in non-human primates as a biomarker for convulsions induced by GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor antagonists. The present study aimed to explore the application of this methodology to other convulsants and evaluate its specificity by testing non-convulsants that affect the autonomic nervous system. Telemetry-implanted males were administered various convulsants (4-aminopyridine, bupropion, kainic acid, and ranolazine) at different doses. Electrocardiogram data gathered during the pre-dose period were employed as training data, and the convulsive potential was evaluated using HRV and multivariate statistical process control. Our findings show that the Q-statistic-derived convulsive index for 4-aminopyridine increased at doses lower than that of the convulsive dose. Increases were also observed for kainic acid and ranolazine at convulsive doses, whereas bupropion did not change the index up to the highest dose (1/3 of the convulsive dose). When the same analysis was applied to non-convulsants (atropine, atenolol, and clonidine), an increase in the index was noted. Thus, the index elevation appeared to correlate with or even predict alterations in autonomic nerve activity indices, implying that this method might be regarded as a sensitive index to fluctuations within the autonomic nervous system. Despite potential false positives, this methodology offers valuable insights into predicting drug-induced convulsions when the pharmacological profile is used to carefully choose a compound.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 5","pages":"231-240"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140874720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Industrially produced trans-fatty acids are potent promoters of DNA damage-induced apoptosis.","authors":"Yusuke Hirata, Ryota Kojima, Ryo Ashida, Yuki Nada, Shinnosuke Kimura, Emiko Sato, Takuya Noguchi, Atsushi Matsuzawa","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.27","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.27","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>trans-Fatty acids (TFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids harboring at least one carbon-carbon double bond in trans configuration, which are categorized into two groups according to their origin: industrial and ruminant TFAs, hereafter called iTFAs and rTFAs, respectively. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a specific link of iTFAs to various diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. However, there is little evidence for underlying mechanisms that can explain the specific toxicity of iTFAs, and how to mitigate their toxicity. Herein, we show that iTFAs, including elaidic acid (EA) and linoelaidic acid, but not rTFAs, facilitate apoptosis induced by doxorubicin (Dox), triggering DNA double-strand breaks. We previously established that EA promotes Dox-induced apoptosis by accelerating c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction. Consistently, iTFAs specifically enhanced Dox-induced JNK activation. Furthermore, Dox-induced pro-apoptotic signaling by iTFAs was blocked in the presence of oleic acid (OA), the geometrical cis isomer of EA. These results demonstrate that iTFAs specifically exert their toxicity during DNA damage-induced apoptosis, which could be effectively suppressed by OA. Our study provides evidence for understanding the difference in toxic actions between TFA species, and for new strategies to prevent and combat TFA-related diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 1","pages":"27-36"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139403505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Involvement of microRNA-4680-3p against phenytoin-induced cell proliferation inhibition in human palate cells.","authors":"Yosuke Tsukiboshi, Hanane Horita, Yurie Mikami, Azumi Noguchi, Satoshi Yokota, Kenichi Ogata, Hiroki Yoshioka","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cleft palate (CP) is one of the most common birth defects and is caused by a combination of genetic and/or environmental factors. Environmental factors such as pharmaceutical exposure in pregnant women are known to induce CP. Recently, microRNA (miRNA) was found to be affected by environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of miRNA against phenytoin (PHE)-induced inhibition of proliferation in human embryonic palatal mesenchymal (HEPM) cells. We demonstrated that PHE inhibited HEPM cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. We found that treatment with PHE downregulated cyclin-D1 and cyclin-E expressions in HEPM cells. Furthermore, PHE increased miR-4680-3p expression and decreased two downstream genes (ERBB2 and JADE1). Importantly, an miR-4680-3p-specific inhibitor restored HEPM cell proliferation and altered expression of ERBB2 and JADE1 in cells treated with PHE. These results suggest that PHE suppresses cell proliferation via modulation of miR-4680-3p expression.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 1","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139403506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Identification of post-mortem product of zolpidem degradation by hemoglobin via the Fenton reaction.","authors":"Yoshikazu Yamagishi, Sayaka Nagasawa, Hirotaro Iwase, Yasumitsu Ogra","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.261","DOIUrl":"10.2131/jts.49.261","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Zolpidem, N,N-dimethyl-2-[6-methyl-2-(4-methylphenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl]acetamide, is a hypnotic agent widely used in clinical practice but is detected in many clinical cases of fatal intoxication and suicide. In forensic toxicology, the precise determination of zolpidem concentration in blood is a must to provide concrete evidence of death by zolpidem poisoning. However, the concentrations of zolpidem in blood at autopsy often differ from those at the estimated time of death. In the present study, we found that zolpidem was degraded by hemoglobin (Hb) via the Fenton reaction at various temperatures. The mechanism underlying zolpidem degradation involved the oxidation of its linker moiety. The MS and MS/MS spectra obtained by liquid chromatography quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) showed the formation of 2-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyl-2-(6-methyl-2-(p-tolyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)acetamide (2-OH ZOL) in Hb/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> solution incubated with zolpidem and in the blood of several individuals who died from ingestion of zolpidem. These results suggest that 2-OH ZOL is the post-mortem product of zolpidem degradation by Hb via the Fenton reaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 6","pages":"261-268"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141199682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Validation of a new protocol for a zebrafish MEFL (malformation or embryo-fetal lethality) test method that conforms to the ICH S5 (R3) guideline.","authors":"Kanako Mori, Yoshinobu Aoki, Fumito Mikashima, Kazushige Maki, Toshio Tanaka, Mai Hayashi, Wataru Sugimoto, Mizuho Ono, Saaya Umekita, Tatsuhiro Niino, Michio Fujiwara, Tomonori Ebata, Hiromi Hirata, Hajime Kojima","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.337","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Detecting the toxic effects of chemicals on reproduction and development without using mammalian animal models is crucial in the exploitation of pharmaceuticals for human use. Zebrafish are a promising animal model for investigating pharmacological effects and toxicity during vertebrate development. Several studies have suggested the use of zebrafish embryos for the assessment of malformations or embryo-fetal lethality (MEFL). However, a reproducible protocol as a standard for the zebrafish MEFL test method that fulfills global requests has not been established based on the International Council of Harmonisation (ICH) S5 (R3) guidelines. To establish such a toxicity test method, we developed a new and easy protocol to detect MEFL caused by chemicals, especially those with teratogenic potential, using fertilized zebrafish eggs (embryos) within 5 days of development. Our toxicity test trials using the same protocol in two to four different laboratories corroborated the high inter-laboratory reproducibility. Our test method enabled the detection of 18 out of 22 test compounds that induced rat MEFL. Thus, the prediction rate of our zebrafish test method for MEFL was almost 82% compared with that of rat MEFL. Collectively, our study proposes the establishment of an easy and reproducible protocol for the zebrafish MEFL test method for reproductive and developmental toxicity that meets ICH guideline S5 (R3), which can be further considered in combination with information from other sources for regulatory use.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 8","pages":"337-348"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141889659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Siqi Xu, Lijuan Chen, Xi Lin, Xiaoxia Yang, Lidan He, Siqi Yan, Song Luo, Xinyi Chen, Guoying Que
{"title":"Resin monomers induce apoptosis of the pulp-dentin complex through the mitochondrial pathway.","authors":"Siqi Xu, Lijuan Chen, Xi Lin, Xiaoxia Yang, Lidan He, Siqi Yan, Song Luo, Xinyi Chen, Guoying Que","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.531","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Numerous studies have confirmed that the apoptosis induced by the methacrylate resin monomers triethyleneglycol-dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA), etc., in pulp cells and odontoblast-like cells is caused mainly by oxidative stress (OS). Reactive oxygen species (ROS), recognized as the most important risk factor for apoptosis in cells of the pulp-dentin complex, are produced mainly via the mitochondrial respiratory chain. When the free resin monomers in the oral cavity and pulp reach a toxic level, the monomers induce oxidative DNA damage, activate ATM-p53 in the nucleus, and mediate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in the presence of Bcl-2 family proteins. A vicious cycle is established between OS cellular responses and abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics that accelerate apoptosis. Despite numerous products generated via iteration, complete polymerization of resin monomers is not currently possible. The cytotoxicity of free monomers may lead to adverse reactions, such as pulp sensitivity. This review is based on the most important papers describing the roles of resin monomers in mediating apoptosis in the pulp-dentin complex and provides an overview of the precise mechanisms related to mitochondrion-mediated cytotoxicity, suggesting ways to reduce or eliminate their cytotoxicity in the future through advancements in material technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 12","pages":"531-541"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142770109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiehuan Xu, Jianlin Chen, Dao Wang, Yaojun Li, Ping Lian, Xiaozhu Wu, Rong Yan
{"title":"Nafamostat mesylate sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to carboplatin by promoting the ZNF24-mediated inhibition of WNT2B.","authors":"Jiehuan Xu, Jianlin Chen, Dao Wang, Yaojun Li, Ping Lian, Xiaozhu Wu, Rong Yan","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.467","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Resistance to chemotherapeutic medicines complicates and eventually kills people with ovarian cancer. Nafamostat mesylate (NM) has been used as an adjuvant therapy to enhance chemotherapy sensitivity in several cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of NM on ovarian cancer cells susceptible to carboplatin (CBP) and to determine the underlying mechanism involved. Herein, qRT-PCR, western blot, and IHC were used to analyze mRNA and protein expression. Cell viability and proliferation were measured using the MTT and colony formation assays. Cell migration and invasion were examined using the Transwell assay. Flow cytometry was employed to detect cell apoptosis. The interaction between zinc finger protein 24 (ZNF24) and wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 2b (WNT2B) was validated via the dual-luciferase reporter and Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. A xenograft nude mouse model was used to assess the effect of NM on CBP sensitivity in vivo. Our results showed that NM intervention inhibited the viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion and facilitated the apoptosis of CBP-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, NM sensitized ovarian cancer cells to CBP by upregulating ZNF24. ZNF24 inactivated Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting the transcription of WNT2B. Additionally, NM enhanced the inhibitory effect of CBP on tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, NM enhanced the CBP sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells by promoting the ZNF24-mediated inactivation of the WNT2B/Wnt/β-catenin axis. These findings suggest a viable treatment approach for improving CBP resistance in ovarian cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 11","pages":"467-479"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142576042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A single dose of clothianidin exposure induces varying sex-specific behavioral changes in adulthood depending on the developmental stage of its administration.","authors":"Kenshi Kaku, Takahiro Sasaki, Kenshiro Hara, Kentaro Tanemura","doi":"10.2131/jts.49.301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.49.301","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clothianidin (CLO), a neonicotinoid that is widely used in forests and agricultural areas, was recently reported to cause toxicity in mammals. Although sensitivity to chemicals varies between sexes and developmental stages, studies that comprehensively evaluate both males and females are limited. Therefore, in this study we utilized murine models to compare the sex-specific differences in behavioral effects following CLO exposure at different developmental stages. We orally administered CLO to male and female mice as a single high-dose solution (80 mg/kg) during the postnatal period (2-week-old), adolescence (6-week-old), or maturity (10-week-old), and subsequently evaluated higher brain function. The behavioral battery test consisted of open field, light/dark transition, and contextual/cued fear conditioning tests conducted at three and seven months of age. After the behavioral test, the brains were dissected and prepared for immunohistochemical staining. We observed behavioral abnormalities in anxiety, spatial memory, and cued memory only in female mice. Moreover, the immunohistochemical analysis showed a reduction in astrocytes within the hippocampus of female mice with behavioral abnormalities. The behavioral abnormalities observed in female CLO-treated mice were consistent with the typical behavioral abnormalities associated with hippocampal astrocyte dysfunction. It is therefore possible that the CLO-induced behavioral abnormalities are at least in part related to a reduction in astrocyte numbers. The results of this study highlight the differences in behavioral effects following CLO exposure between sexes and developmental stages.</p>","PeriodicalId":17654,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Toxicological Sciences","volume":"49 7","pages":"301-311"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141469108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}