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Biomedical subjects

S Vamvakas

Publications and source records attributed to S Vamvakas.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The toxicology expert: what is required?

In contrast to many traditional professions, toxicologists form a group with very different backgrounds, i.e. they may have been educated to become medical doctors, veterinarians, pharmacists, chemists, biochemists or biologists. Professional competence can be gained in different ways by candidate toxicologists, and according to the European system, their training can be divided into two parts. (i) Theoretical training on several topics such as analytical methods, organ toxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity can be obtained by attending courses organised by the national societies of toxicology. (ii) Spending several years on active experimental work in the fields of modern toxicology (e.g. analytical methods, toxic and genotoxic mechanisms, reproductive toxicity) is necessary to develop the capability to design and carry out experimental studies and to evaluate one's own and other people's research results. Candidate toxicologists should learn to evaluate data with a strictly scientific 'plausibility above numbers' approach.

Employment↗
PubMed1999

Discrimination between genotoxicity and cytotoxicity for the induction of DNA double-strand breaks in cells treated with aldehydes and diepoxides.

The time-dependent dose-response relationships for the induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and for viability (evaluated by the MTT cytotoxicity test) were investigated in order to discriminate between genotoxic and cytotoxic mechanisms of DNA fragmentation. Cultured human lung epithelial cells (A549) were treated (i) with the aldehydes formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde and (ii) with the DNA-DNA interstrand crosslinkers melphalan, diepoxybutane or diepoxyoctane. Induction of DSB by formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde was seen only after cell viability was reduced to less than about 60% of the control values, indicating that DSB were the consequence of extragenomic damage and viability loss. Melphalan, diepoxybutane and diepoxyoctane induced DSB by a genotoxic mode with concentrations that did not affect cell survival: 8 h after treatment initiation both heat-labile crosslinks and DSB could be detected. Cells were not able to repair the crosslinks induced by diepoxybutane, the crosslinker with the shortest chain length. In contrast, with melphalan and diepoxyoctane, which have a longer crosslinking property considerable repair of crosslinks was observed. The molecular size distribution of the produced DNA fragments supported this mechanistic distinction. The DNA fragments generated by diepoxides were initially large, their concentration decreasing monotonously from 7 Mbp to less than 1 Mbp and were converted to smaller fragments by 72 h in the course of cell death. In contrast, DNA fragments induced by formaldehyde peaked below 1 Mbp, implicating activation of DNA-degrading enzymes.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed1999

Increased genomic damage in lymphocytes of patients before and after long-term maintenance hemodialysis therapy.

This study investigates spontaneous genomic damage in peripheral lymphocytes of 19 patients with severe end-stage renal disease not enrolled onto a maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) program (creatinine level, 5.4 to 10.5 mg/dL) and 16 long-term MHD patients (111 to 282 months on MHD) and the possible association of genomic damage with the degree of renal insufficiency and duration of MHD. Genomic damage was assessed by evaluating the numbers of micronuclei (MN), which are cytoplasmic DNA-containing structures. The average number of MN in the control group of 23 healthy subjects was 15.3 +/- 4.7 MN/1,000 binucleate (BN) cells. The MN frequencies in the long-term MHD group were significantly greater (44.3 +/- 13.7 MN/1,000 BN) than the control frequencies. A significant increase in MN frequencies (28.2 +/- 9.4 MN/1,000 BN) was also seen in patients with advanced renal failure. The major findings of the study, high MN frequencies in long-term hemodialysis and advanced chronic renal failure patients, may result from decreased DNA repair previously shown and may contribute to the increased cancer incidence in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Discrimination between genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in the induction of DNA double-strand breaks in cells treated with etoposide, melphalan, cisplatin, potassium cyanide, Triton X-100, and gamma-irradiation.

The dose-response relationships for DNA fragmentation (assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PFGE) and for viability (evaluated by measuring the reduction of MTT dye which can be accomplished by viable cells only) were investigated in order to discriminate between genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in the pathogenesis of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). Cultured human lung epithelial cells (A549) were treated with the DNA-intrastrand crosslinker cisplatin, the DNA-interstrand crosslinker melphalan and the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide. The cytotoxic mode of DSB induction was investigated by using the mitochondrial respiratory chain toxin potassium cyanide (KCN) and the detergent Triton X-100. gamma-Irradiation induced a linear dose response for DSB which were efficiently repaired and did not cause reduction in cell survival over a period of 72 h. With etoposide and melphalan a significant increase in DSB was seen 8 h after treatment initiation with concentrations that did not affect cell survival, implicating genotoxicity as the causal event. In contrast, induction of DSB by KCN and Triton X-100, and also by cisplatin, was seen only after cell viability was reduced to less than about 60%, indicating that DSB were the consequence of extragenomic damage. This mechanistic distinction of the two classes was supported by DNA fragment length analysis. In line with a genotoxic mechanism and absence of additional cytotoxic effects, the DNA fragments generated by gamma-irradiation as well as by etoposide and melphalan displayed a distribution between 1 and 4 Mbp with a peak around 2 Mbp. In contrast, DNA fragments induced by Triton X-100 and KCN peaked below 0.5 Mbp, implicating activation of DNA-degrading enzymes. This type of investigation is suggested for the study of chemicals for potential DNA interstrand crosslinking, an important promutagenic type of DNA damage. To avoid false positive results in genetic toxicity testing it is suggested that all assays include a dose-response relationship for both genotoxicity and viability.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1998

S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine-induced dedifferentiation and p53 gene mutations in LLC-PK1 cells: a comparative investigation with S-(2-chloroethyl)cysteine, potassium bromate, cis-platinum and styrene oxide.

Exposure of cultured renal (LLC-PK1) cells for 7 weeks to non-cytotoxic concentrations of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine had resulted in the induction of morphologically and biochemically dedifferentiated clones, which retained their altered properties after removal of the chemical. In this study we investigated by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis and direct sequencing if S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine-induced LLC-PK1 clones display mutations in the p53 gene in comparison with wild-type clones. In addition, the characteristics of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine-induced clones were compared with clones induced by carcinogens/metabolites of carcinogens with different mechanisms of action: (i) The potent alkylating agent and bacterial mutagen chloroethylcysteine, the key metabolite of the carcinogen dichloroethane; (ii) potassium bromate, a nephrocarcinogen inducing reactive oxygen species, which give rise to the formation of 8OHdG and DNA strand-breaks; (iii) cis-platinum, a bifunctional cross-linking agent and strand-break inducer and (iv) styrene oxide, the main intermediate metabolite of styrene, an epoxide whose carcinogenicity is thought to be based on cytotoxicity. Three essential markers of the physiological integrity and renal tubule origin of the wild-type LLC-PK1 cells were disrupted in all chemical-derived clones: (i) the polarisation of the plasma membrane into a luminal and basolateral part; (ii) the sodium-dependent glucose uptake and (iii) the pH-dependent ammonia production. Compared with the wild-type clones, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, a posttranslational modification of nuclear proteins, was clearly increased in clones induced by S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine, potassium bromate and cis-platinum. These clones displayed also band shifts of p53 exon 7, indicating mutations, which were confirmed by sequencing: a double mutation consisting of a base substitution followed by one base insertion in the case of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine and potassium bromate and a base substitution in the case of cis-platinum. The base insertions both lead to the formation of the stop codon UGA resulting in loss of protein function.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1998

Acute intoxication with trichloroethene: clinical symptoms, toxicokinetics, metabolism, and development of biochemical parameters for renal damage.

The present study reports on a 17-year-old male who ingested approximately 70 ml trichloroethene (TRI) in a suicide attempt. The patient developed fever, tremor, general motor restlessness, and sinus tachycardia and lost consciousness 5 h after poisoning. After 5 days of intubation under narcosis with forced hyperventilation and diuresis he regained consciousness. During this period blood and urine were collected and TRI and its metabolites were quantified. The highest concentration of TRI in blood was detected 13 h after ingestion. Trichloroethanol and trichloroacetic acid, metabolites of the cytochrome P450-mediated pathway, and N-acetyl-S-(1, 2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine and N-acetyl-S-(2, 2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine from the glutathione-dependent pathway of TRI were quantified in urine samples. Besides these known metabolites in humans, chloroacetic acid and dichloroacetic acid were identified for the first time in urine of a human exposed to TRI. Although the patient exhibited normal levels of glucose and total protein in urine, excretion of alpha1- and beta2-microglobulin as well as beta-NAG was significantly increased. In addition to these typical markers of selective tubule damage, analysis of the urinary protein pattern by SDS-PAGE revealed increased excretion of several low-molecular-mass proteins between 10,000 and 50,000 Da, clearly indicating tubular damage. Based on the elucidated glutathione-dependent mechanism for the nephrotoxicity of TRI, activation of the formed S-conjugates by beta-lyases to reactive intermediates may account for the observed renal effects after a single, high dose of TRI.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Investigation of the induction of DNA double-strand breaks by methylenediphenyl-4-4'-diisocyanate in cultured human lung epithelial cells.

The question was addressed whether methylenediphenyl-4,4'-diisocyanate (MDI), a bifunctional electrophile, can induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) by repair of interstrand DNA crosslinks or whether DSB are the result of cell death. Cultured human lung epithelial cells (A549) were treated with MDI, methylene-4,4'-dianiline (MDA; a potential hydrolysis product of MDI), the nitrogen mustard melphalan, and the detergent Triton X-100. All chemicals were dissolved in ethylene glycol dimethyl ether which was added to a cell monolayer covered with phosphate-buffered saline. After 2 h, the treatment solution was exchanged against medium, and 8, 24, and 72 h after treatment initiation, the induction of DNA double-strand breaks was assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. At the same time, the viability was determined with the MTT test (intracellular reduction of the tetrazolium dye MTT). At the 8-h time point, 1 and 10 microM melphalan induced DSB without concomitant effect on cell viability. With all other chemicals, the dose-response curves for DNA fragmentation and viability were mirror images. Approximate 50% lethal concentrations were 200, 3000, and 100 microM for MDI, MDA, and Triton X-100, respectively. For these chemicals, the observed DSB were the consequence of extragenomic damage in the course of cell death rather than of an interaction with DNA. The mechanistic difference of melphalan was supported by analysis of nuclear morphology. Apoptotic bodies were observed only after melphalan treatment, whereas MDI and Triton X-100 produced only irregular clumping of chromatin (72-h time point). DNA fragment length analysis showed a time-independent pattern, with sizes between 1 and 4 Mbp for melphalan, while MDI, and Triton X-100 induced smaller DNA fragments in a time-dependent manner. It is concluded that DSB observed in cells treated with MDI are unlikely the result of DNA crosslink formation.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1998

Changes in the classification of carcinogenic chemicals in the work area. Section III of the German List of MAK and BAT Values.

Carcinogenic chemicals in the work area are currently classified into three categories in section III of the German List of MAK and BAT Values (list of values on maximum workplace concentrations and biological tolerance for occupational exposures). This classification is based on qualitative criteria and reflects essentially the weight of evidence available for judging the carcinogenic potential of the chemicals. It is proposed that these categories - IIIA1, IIIA2, IIIB - be retained as Categories 1, 2, and 3, to correspond with European Union regulations. On the basis of our advancing knowledge of reaction mechanisms and the potency of carcinogens, these three categories are supplemented with two additional categories. The essential feature of substances classified in the new categories is that exposure to these chemicals does not contribute significantly to risk of cancer to man, provided that an appropriate exposure limit (MAK value) is observed. Chemicals known to act typically by nongenotoxic mechanisms and for which information is available that allows evaluation of the effects of low-dose exposures, are classified in Category 4. Genotoxic chemicals for which low carcinogenic potency can be expected on the basis of dose-response relationships and toxicokinetics, and for which risk at low doses can be assessed are classified in Category 5. The basis for a better differentiation of carcinogens is discussed, the new categories are defined, and possible criteria for classification are described. Examples for Category 4 (1,4-dioxane) and Category 5 (styrene) are presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Renal cell cancer correlated with occupational exposure to trichloroethene.

A previous cohort-study in a cardboard factory demonstrated that high and prolonged occupational exposure to trichloroethene (C2HCl3) is associated with an increased incidence of renal cell cancer. The present hospital-based case/control study investigates occupational exposure in 58 patients with renal cell cancer with special emphasis on C2HCl3 and the structurally and toxicologically closely related compound tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4). A group of 84 patients from the accident wards of three general hospitals in the same area served as controls. Of the 58 cases, 19 had histories of occupational C2HCl3 exposure for at least 2 years and none had been exposed to C2Cl4; of the 84 controls, 5 had been occupationally exposed to C2HCl3 and 2 to C2Cl4. After adjustment for other risk factors, such as age, obesity, high blood pressure, smoking and chronic intake of diuretics, the study demonstrates an association of renal cell cancer with long-term exposure to C2HCl3 (odds ratio 10.80; 95% CI: 3.36-34.75).

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Changes in the classification of carcinogenic chemicals in the work area. (Section III of the German List of MAK and BAT values).

Carcinogenic chemicals in the work area were previously classified into three categories in section III of the German List of MAK and BAT values (the list of values on maximum workplace concentrations and biological tolerance for occupational exposures). This classification was based on qualitative criteria and reflected essentially the weight of evidence available for judging the carcinogenic potential of the chemicals. In the new classification scheme the former sections IIIA1, IIIA2, and IIIB are retained as categories 1, 2, and 3, to correspond with European Union regulations. On the basis of our advancing knowledge of reaction mechanisms and the potency of carcinogens, these three categories are supplemented with two additional categories. The essential feature of substances classified in the new categories is that exposure to these chemicals does not contribute significantly to the risk of cancer to man, provided that an appropriate exposure limit (MAK value) is observed. Chemicals known to act typically by non-genotoxic mechanisms, and for which information is available that allows evaluation of the effects of low-dose exposures, are classified in category 4. Genotoxic chemicals for which low carcinogenic potency can be expected on the basis of dose/response relationships and toxicokinetics and for which risk at low doses can be assessed are classified in category 5. The basis for a better differentiation of carcinogens is discussed, the new categories are defined, and possible criteria for classification are described. Examples for category 4 (1,4-dioxane) and category 5 (styrene) are presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Cancer in end-stage renal disease: potential factors involved -editorial-.

Increased incidence of cancer at various sites is observed in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In particular, lymphomas and carcinomas of the kidney, prostate, liver and uterus show an enhanced prevalence in these subjects compared with the general population. A multitude of factors directly or indirectly associated with the renal disease and the treatment regimens may contribute to the increased tumor formation in these patients. Impaired function of the immune system and of DNA repair mechanisms as well as reduced antioxidant defense, accumulation of carcinogenic compounds partly due to reduced renal elimination as well as chronic infections and inflammations are found more frequently in patients with ESRD compared with the general population and may act in concert to accelerate malignant transformation and tumor formation.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

High-glucose media enhance the responsiveness of tubular cells to growth promoters: effect on lysosomal cathepsins and protein degradation.

Nephromegaly is a prominent feature of diabetic nephropathy and predominantly reflects increased renal tubule mass, mostly due to hypertrophy. To elucidate pathogenetic factors involved, we studied the effects of high glucose (HG) alone, and in combination with hormones/growth promoters: angiotensin II (10(-7) M); parathyroid hormone (10(-7) M); insulin-like growth factor-1 (10(-7) M), or transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1, 10 ng/ml) in a renal cell line (LLC-PK1) with many characteristics of the proximal tubule. Activities of lysosomal cathepsins (B, L+B and H) and the protein turnover were investigated. Exposure to HG (25 mM) for up to 48 h increased cellular protein content, due to enhanced protein synthesis, while protein degradation rate and cathepsin activities tended to lower values. Hyperosmotic mechanisms of glucose action were excluded, since these effects were not induced by mannitol. In normoglycemic conditions only TGF-beta1 decreased cathepsin activities and protein degradation rate significantly. However, in HG media all applied hormones/growth factors significantly lowered the protein degradation rate, as well as lysosomal cathepsin activities. The enhanced responsiveness could contribute to the impaired protein turnover, with consequent hypertrophy of the tubulointerstitium in diabetic nephropathy.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1998

Position- and base pair-specific comparison of p53 mutation spectra in human tumors: elucidation of relationships between organs for cancer etiology.

A new approach to analyze the p53 mutation database of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory for a comparison of mutation spectra is described, with the aim of investigating organ specificity of etiological factors and putative organ-to-organ relationships in cancer pathogenesis. The number of entries of each nucleotide- and base-pair substitution-specific mutation was divided by the total number of tumors analyzed. For each organ pair, the difference of the mutation-specific frequency differences was calculated. Resulting values could range from 0 (full concordance) to 2 (full discordance). Skin, lung, and urinary bladder showed highly independent mutation spectra (maximum discordance value = 1.48 for skin versus brain), in agreement with the presence of specific factors responsible for a large number of the respective tumors (UV light, smoking, aromatic amines). The three organs with the smallest sum of discordance values were mammary gland (breast), colon and esophagus. The minimum organ-to-organ discordance value was 0.95, for stomach versus colon. For these organs, common, possibly also endogenous, cancer risk factors could be postulated as contributing to the observed mutation spectrum. The remaining cancers (ovary, sarcoma, leukemia/lymphoma, brain, head and neck, and stomach, in order or increasing discordance) were of intermediate range and showed a mix of values. Reasons for close relationship to some of the other organs and marked differences to others are discussed. Exclusion of the "hot-spot" mutations did not markedly alter the observed relationships, indicating that a putative selective growth advantage does not cover up the etiological basis for the observed mutation spectrum. It is expected that much more insight into carcinogenesis and cancer could be gained by further exploratory analyses of mutation databases.

Base Composition↗
PubMed1998

Alcohol abuse: potential role in electrolyte disturbances and kidney diseases.

The present review summarizes the current knowledge on the multiple effects of alcohol overconsumption on the kidney function as well as on water, electrolyte and acid-base homeostasis. In contrast to the well known transitory diuretic effects, the overall long-term effect of chronic alcohol overconsumption is water and salt retention with expansion of extracellular volume. Furthermore, depletion of magnesium, phosphate and calcium is also frequently found in alcohol-dependent patients. These electrolyte disturbances may be associated with the alcohol-induced hypoparathyroidism and parathyroid hormone resistance of the skeletal muscle as well as with the decrease of serum osteocalcin. Metabolic acidosis with lower arterial blood pH and plasma bicarbonate concentrations was revealed in alcoholic patients upon admission and a significant correlation between chronic alcohol overconsumption and increased incidence of hyperuricemia and gout attacks was also reported. Alcohol seems to have dual effects on the blood pressure. Increased blood pressure was demonstrated in men above 80 g and in women above 40 g ethanol consumption daily. In contrast, young adults consuming only 10 to 20 g per day had lower blood pressure than the abstinent group indicating a J-curve relationship. This is in line with the lowered risk for coronary heart disease associated with regular consumption of small alcohol amounts. The mechanisms responsible for the association between alcohol overconsumption and postinfectious glomerulonephritis have not been elucidated yet. Finally severe alcohol abuse predisposes to acute renal failure and seems to be associated with the general catabolic effects.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1998

Advanced glycated albumin impairs protein degradation in the kidney proximal tubules cell line LLC-PK1.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are assumed to play a major role in the genesis of diabetic nephropathy and other diabetic complications. We studied the potential effect of AGEs on protein turnover and lysosomal proteinase activities in LLC-PK1 cells, a pig kidney proximal tubules cell line. Advanced glycated bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA) was used as a model of AGEs and its action was compared to that of nonglycated BSA. AGE-BSA but not BSA (50 micromol/l) induced a significant increase in cell volume (BSA: 4870.6 +/- 74.8 fl, AGE-BSA: 5718.0 +/- 20.7 fl, p<0.01). Protein degradation rate was decreased by 13.8% after 48 hrs. incubation with AGE-BSA (p<0.01) while protein synthesis increased by 19,1%, (p<0.01). After incubation with AGE-BSA but not BSA activities of lysosomal cathepsins (B, L+B and H) decreased in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. This decline was neither caused by a shift in lysosomal pH outside the optimal range for cathepsins, nor by a direct inhibitory effect of AGEs modified proteins or peptides but most probably by inhibition of cathepsin B expression as measured by RT-PCR. It is supposed that impaired protease activities participated in decreased protein breakdown and cell enlargement. For the first time our data provide the evidence that AGEs induce hypertrophy of LLC-PK1 cells due to decreased protein breakdown resulting from reduced lysosomal proteinase activities with a concomitant stimulation of protein synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Advanced glycation endproducts stimulate the MAP-kinase pathway in tubulus cell line LLC-PK1.

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are suggested to play an important role in diabetic nephropathy. They induce specific cellular responses such as the release of cytokines in different cell lines. The effect of AGEs on signal transduction pathways was investigated in the renal tubulus cell line LLC-PK1. Using a serine-phosphate-specific antibody AGE-induced cellular responses associated with phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events were demonstrated. In particular, the p42MAP kinase and its downstream target, the AP-1 complex, are shown to be activated by AGE-BSA but not by BSA. In contrast, only partial phosphorylation is observed for the p70S6-kinase. Thus, AGEs appear to induce specific signal transduction pathways.

Animals↗