Latest Publications

@article{marvanova_benzobnaphthodthiophenes_2023,

title = {Benzo[b]naphtho[d]thiophenes and naphthylbenzo[b]thiophenes: Their aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated activities and environmental presence.},

author = {Soňa Marvanová and Kateřina Pěnčíková and Lenka Pálková and Miroslav Ciganek and Jiří Petráš and Anna Lněničková and Jan Vondráček and Miroslav Machala},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162924},

issn = {1879-1026 0048-9697},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-06-01},

journal = {The Science of the total environment},

volume = {879},

pages = {162924},

abstract = {Polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocyclic compounds (PASHs) belong among ubiquitous environmental pollutants; however, their toxic effects remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activity of dibenzothiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[d]thiophenes, and naphthylbenzo[b]thiophenes, as well as their presence in two types of environmental matrices: river sediments collected from both rural and urban areas, and in airborne particulate matter (PM(2.5)) sampled in cities with different levels and sources of pollution. Benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophene, 2,2-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene, and 2,1-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene were newly identified as efficient AhR agonists in both rat and human AhR-based reporter gene assays, with 2,2-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene being the most potent compound identified in both species. Benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene and 3,2-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene elicited AhR-mediated activity only in the rat liver cell model, while dibenzothiophene and 3,1-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene were inactive in either cell type. Independently of their ability to activate the AhR, benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene, 2,1-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene, 3,1-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene, and 3,2-naphthylbenzo[b]thiophene inhibited gap junctional intercellular communication in a model of rat liver epithelial cells. Benzo[b]naphtho[d]thiophenes were dominant PASHs present in both PM(2.5) and sediment samples, with benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene being the most abundant one, followed by benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophene. The levels of naphthylbenzo[b]thiophenes were mostly low or below detection limit. Benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene and benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophene were identified as the most significant contributors to the AhR-mediated activity in the environmental samples evaluated in this study. Both induced nuclear translocation of the AhR, and they induced CYP1A1 expression in a time-dependent manner, suggesting that their AhR-mediated activity may depend on the rate of their intracellular metabolism. In conclusion, some PASHs could be significant contributors to the overall AhR-mediated toxicity of complex environmental samples suggesting that more attention should be paid to the potential health impacts of this group of environmental pollutants.},

note = {Place: Netherlands},

keywords = {*Environmental Pollutants, *Heterocyclic Compounds, AhR activity, Airborne particulate matter, Animals, Aryl Hydrocarbon, Freshwater sediments, Gap junctional intercellular communication, Humans, Particulate Matter, Polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocyclic compounds, Rats, Receptors, Thiophenes/toxicity/metabolism},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{vondracek_environmental_2020,

title = {Environmental six-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are potent inducers of the AhR-dependent signaling in human cells.},

author = {Jan Vondráček and Kateřina Pěnčíková and Miroslav Ciganek and Jakub Pivnička and Martina Karasová and Martina Hýžďalová and Simona Strapáčová and Lenka Pálková and Jiří Neča and Jason Matthews and Michal Vojtíšek Lom and Jan Topinka and Alena Milcová and Miroslav Machala},

doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115125},

issn = {1873-6424 0269-7491},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-11-01},

journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)},

volume = {266},

number = {Pt 2},

pages = {115125},

abstract = {The toxicities of many environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in particular those of high-molecular-weight PAHs (with MW higher than 300), remain poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of selected environmentally relevant PAHs with MW 302 (MW302 PAHs) to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), since this represents a major toxic mode of action of PAHs. A large number of the evaluated compounds exhibited strong AhR-mediated activities, in particular in human models. The studied MW302 PAHs also significantly contributed to the overall calculated AhR activities of complex environmental mixtures, including both defined standard reference materials and collected diesel exhaust particles. The high AhR-mediated activities of representative MW302 PAHs, e.g. naphtho[1,2-k]fluoranthene, corresponded with the modulation of expression of relevant AhR target genes in a human lung cell model, or with the AhR-dependent suppression of cell cycle progression/proliferation in estrogen-sensitive cells. This was in a marked contrast with the limited genotoxicity of the same compound(s). Given the substantial levels of the AhR-activating MW302 PAHs in combustion particles, it seems important to continue to investigate the toxic modes of action of this large group of PAHs associated with airborne particulate matter.},

note = {Place: England},

keywords = {*Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, *Receptors, AhR, Anti-estrogenicity, Aryl Hydrocarbon, Carcinogenic PAHs, Genotoxicity, Humans, Lung cell toxicity, Particulate Matter, Signal Transduction, Vehicle Emissions},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}