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Relationship: 2959

Title

A descriptive phrase which clearly defines the two KEs being considered and the sequential relationship between them (i.e., which is upstream, and which is downstream). More help

Interaction with the lung cell membrane leads to Systemic acute phase response

Upstream event
The causing Key Event (KE) in a Key Event Relationship (KER). More help
Downstream event
The responding Key Event (KE) in a Key Event Relationship (KER). More help

Key Event Relationship Overview

The utility of AOPs for regulatory application is defined, to a large extent, by the confidence and precision with which they facilitate extrapolation of data measured at low levels of biological organisation to predicted outcomes at higher levels of organisation and the extent to which they can link biological effect measurements to their specific causes.Within the AOP framework, the predictive relationships that facilitate extrapolation are represented by the KERs. Consequently, the overall WoE for an AOP is a reflection in part, of the level of confidence in the underlying series of KERs it encompasses. Therefore, describing the KERs in an AOP involves assembling and organising the types of information and evidence that defines the scientific basis for inferring the probable change in, or state of, a downstream KE from the known or measured state of an upstream KE. More help

AOPs Referencing Relationship

AOP Name Adjacency Weight of Evidence Quantitative Understanding Point of Contact Author Status OECD Status
Substance interaction with lung resident cell membrane components leading to atherosclerosis via acute phase response non-adjacent High Moderate Ulla Vogel (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development

Taxonomic Applicability

Latin or common names of a species or broader taxonomic grouping (e.g., class, order, family) that help to define the biological applicability domain of the KER.In general, this will be dictated by the more restrictive of the two KEs being linked together by the KER.  More help
Term Scientific Term Evidence Link
mouse Mus musculus High NCBI
human Homo sapiens High NCBI

Sex Applicability

An indication of the the relevant sex for this KER. More help
Sex Evidence
Male High
Female High

Life Stage Applicability

An indication of the the relevant life stage(s) for this KER.  More help
Term Evidence
All life stages High

Key Event Relationship Description

Provides a concise overview of the information given below as well as addressing details that aren’t inherent in the description of the KEs themselves. More help

This KER presents the association between the interaction of stressors with the lung resident cell membrane components (Key event 1495) and the induction of systematic acute phase response (Key event 1439). The evidence of the KER presented is based on animal studies (mice), controlled human studies and epidemiological studies.

Evidence Collection Strategy

Include a description of the approach for identification and assembly of the evidence base for the KER. For evidence identification, include, for example, a description of the sources and dates of information consulted including expert knowledge, databases searched and associated search terms/strings.  Include also a description of study screening criteria and methodology, study quality assessment considerations, the data extraction strategy and links to any repositories/databases of relevant references.Tabular summaries and links to relevant supporting documentation are encouraged, wherever possible. More help

Targeted literature search focusing on humans and mice.

Evidence Supporting this KER

Addresses the scientific evidence supporting KERs in an AOP setting the stage for overall assessment of the AOP. More help
Biological Plausibility
Addresses the biological rationale for a connection between KEupstream and KEdownstream.  This field can also incorporate additional mechanistic details that help inform the relationship between KEs, this is useful when it is not practical/pragmatic to represent these details as separate KEs due to the difficulty or relative infrequency with which it is likely to be measured.   More help

The biological plausibility is high. Pulmonary inflammation occurs when stressors interact with the airways (Moldoveanu et al., 2009) and acute phase response is induced during a subsequent inflammatory response (Gabay & Kushner, 1999). It has been shown (see table below) that exposure to many different stressors produces a dose-dependent increase of acute phase proteins in blood [i.e. C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA)] in humans and mice.

Uncertainties and Inconsistencies
Addresses inconsistencies or uncertainties in the relationship including the identification of experimental details that may explain apparent deviations from the expected patterns of concordance. More help

In animal studies using well-characterized materials,  physicochemical characteristics such as size, surface area, surface functionalization, shape, and solubility, affect the magnitude and duration of the acute phase response in mice (Bengtson et al., 2017; Gutierrez et al., 2023; Poulsen et al., 2017).

In  controlled human studies, an increase in CRP and/or SAA was observed after exposure to particulate matter (Baumann et al., 2018; Monse et al., 2018; Monse et al., 2021; Walker et al., 2022; Wyatt et al., 2020). However, in some human studies, no exposure-related  acute phase response was detected (Andersen, Saber, Clausen, et al., 2018; Andersen, Saber, Pedersen, et al., 2018), maybe due to a low level of exposure (Andersen et al., 2019). The lack of exposure-related systemic acute phase response could be caused by low exposure levels or limited statistical power.

The table below presents inconsistencies for this KER, where substance interaction with lung resident cell membrane components has occurred, while systemic acute phase response was not observed. Exposure through the respiratory system (inhalation or intratracheal instillation) of stressors was considered as interaction with lung resident cell membrane components, while systemic acute phase response is measured as the concentration of acute phase protein in blood plasma or serum.

Species

Stressor

Substance interaction with lung residents cell membrane components

Systemic acute phase response

Reference

Mouse

Diesel exhaust particles

Yes, inhalation of 20 mg/m3 for 90 min, in 4 consecutive days.

No effect.

(Saber et al., 2009, 2013)

Mouse

Carbon black

Yes, inhalation of 20 mg/m3 for 90 min, in 4 consecutive days.

No effect.

(Saber et al., 2009, 2013)

Mouse

Reduced graphene oxide

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 18, 54 and 162 µg.

No, no change in SAA3 plasma concentration 3 days after exposure.

(Bengtson et al., 2017)

Mouse

Crocidolite

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 6 and 18 µg.

No change in SAA1/2 nor SAA3 plasma levels.

(Poulsen et al., 2017)

Mouse

Particulate matter from commercial airport

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 6, 18 and 54 µg.

No change in plasma SAA3.

(Bendtsen et al., 2019)

Mouse

Carbon black

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 54 µg.

No change in plasma SAA3.

(Bendtsen et al., 2019)

Mouse

Uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 0.2, 0.7 and 2 µg.

No effect on plasma SAA3.

(Hadrup, Rahmani, et al., 2019)

Mouse

Coated zinc oxide nanoparticles

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 0.2, 0.7 and 2 µg.

No effect on plasma SAA3.

(Hadrup, Rahmani, et al., 2019)

Mouse

Zinc oxide

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 0.7 and 2 µg.

No change in plasma SAA3 or SAA1/2 levels.

(Gutierrez et al., 2023)

Mouse

Aluminum oxide

Yes, intratracheal instillation of 18 and 54 µg.

No change in plasma SAA3 or SAA1/2 levels.

(Gutierrez et al., 2023)

Human

Particulate matter and gas from fire extinguishing exercise

Yes, exposure during training exercises.

No change was observed on blood CRP or SAA levels.

(Andersen, Saber, Clausen, et al., 2018)

Human

Gas and particulate matter from firefighting activities

Yes, exposure during firefighting.

No change was observed on blood CRP or SAA levels.

(Andersen, Saber, Pedersen, et al., 2018)

Human

Diesel exhaust

Yes, 6h per day for 3 days.

No change was observed on blood CRP or SAA levels.

(Andersen et al., 2019)

Known modulating factors

This table captures specific information on the MF, its properties, how it affects the KER and respective references.1.) What is the modulating factor? Name the factor for which solid evidence exists that it influences this KER. Examples: age, sex, genotype, diet 2.) Details of this modulating factor. Specify which features of this MF are relevant for this KER. Examples: a specific age range or a specific biological age (defined by...); a specific gene mutation or variant, a specific nutrient (deficit or surplus); a sex-specific homone; a certain threshold value (e.g. serum levels of a chemical above...) 3.) Description of how this modulating factor affects this KER. Describe the provable modification of the KER (also quantitatively, if known). Examples: increase or decrease of the magnitude of effect (by a factor of...); change of the time-course of the effect (onset delay by...); alteration of the probability of the effect; increase or decrease of the sensitivity of the downstream effect (by a factor of...) 4.) Provision of supporting scientific evidence for an effect of this MF on this KER. Give a list of references.  More help
Response-response Relationship
Provides sources of data that define the response-response relationships between the KEs.  More help

The interaction of insoluble nanomaterials with the lungs (Key event 1495) (measured in dosed surface area: dosed mass multiply by specific surface area) is correlated to serum amyloid A (SAA)3 and SAA1/2 plasma levels (Key event 1439) and the responses show a linear regression, in female C57BL/6J mice 1 day after intratracheal instillation (Gutierrez et al., 2023) (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.92 (p <0.001) between log-transformed dosed surface area (dosed mass multiply by specific surface area) and log-transformed SAA3 plasma levels  (Figure 1). The linear regression formula obtained was Log SAA3 = 0.9459 *Log Dosed surface area – 2.854 (p=0.01). In the case SAA1/2, the correlation coefficient was 0.83 (p<0.05) between log-transformed dosed surface area and log-transformed SAA1/2 plasma levels was, and the linear regression formula was Log SAA1/2 = 0.6368 *Log Dosed surface area +0.09524 (p=0.01) (Figure 2) (Gutierrez et al., 2023).

Figure 1. Correlations between pulmonary dosed surface area and SAA3 protein in plasma, 1 day after exposure to nanomaterials. Reproduced from Gutierrez et al. (2023).

Figure 2. Correlations between pulmonary dosed surface area and SAA1/2 protein in plasma, 1 day after exposure to nanomaterials. Reproduced from Gutierrez et al. (2023).

Time-scale
Information regarding the approximate time-scale of the changes in KEdownstream relative to changes in KEupstream (i.e., do effects on KEdownstream lag those on KEupstream by seconds, minutes, hours, or days?). More help

The experimental evidence suggests that a systemic acute phase response occurs relatively fast (hours to 1 day) following pulmonary exposure. Furthermore, epidemiological evidence suggests that during chronic exposure to air pollution, systemic acute phase response is increased in parallel.

In mice, increased serum amyloid A (SAA) protein levels were observed 1 and 3 days after most exposures in a dose-dependent manner (Bourdon et al., 2012; Hadrup, Knudsen, et al., 2019; Poulsen et al., 2017; Poulsen, Saber, Mortensen, et al., 2015; Poulsen, Saber, Williams, et al., 2015). For insoluble particles and fibers, more long-lasting systemic acute phase responses were observed at high dose levels (Bourdon et al., 2012; Hadrup, Knudsen, et al., 2019; Poulsen et al., 2017; Poulsen, Saber, Mortensen, et al., 2015; Poulsen, Saber, Williams, et al., 2015).

For highly soluble metal oxides, a transient systemic acute phase response is observed (Gutierrez et al., 2023). ZnO is an example of a metal oxide which is highly soluble under acidic conditions and therefore undergo dissolution in the lysosomes of macrophages in the lung following pulmonary exposure. In a controlled human study, volunteers were exposed to ZnO for 2 hours at 3 different dose levels. Immediately after end of exposure, blood levels of systemic acute phase proteins SAA and C-reactive protein (CRP) were unaffected by exposure (Monse et al., 2021). 22 h and 2 days post-exposure, , SAA and C-reactive protein were dose-dependently increased compared to exposure to clean air. Three days post-exposure, SAA and CRP levels had returned to base-line. After exposure to zinc oxide, copper oxide or a mix both, SAA levels were elevated 24h after exposure in humans, but not 6h after exposure (Baumann et al., 2018). In an epidemiological study, a positive correlation was observed between air pollution measured as PM2.5 and CRP in blood (Zhang et al., 2017). This suggests that the systemic acute phase response is chronically increased during chronic exposures (for example by living in areas with high levels of air pollution).

Known Feedforward/Feedback loops influencing this KER
Define whether there are known positive or negative feedback mechanisms involved and what is understood about their time-course and homeostatic limits. More help

Domain of Applicability

A free-text section of the KER description that the developers can use to explain their rationale for the taxonomic, life stage, or sex applicability structured terms. More help

Systemic acute phase response is measured as elevation of acute phase proteins in humans (both sexes) (mainly C reactive protein and serum amyloid A), and serum amyloid A in mice has been shown after exposure to several stressors (see Empirical evidence). This KER is applicable at all life stages.

References

List of the literature that was cited for this KER description. More help

Andersen, M. H. G., Frederiksen, M., Saber, A. T., Wils, R. S., Fonseca, A. S., Koponen, I. K., . . . Vogel, U. (2019). Health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust in diesel-powered trains. Part Fibre Toxicol, 16(1), 21. doi:10.1186/s12989-019-0306-4

Andersen, M. H. G., Saber, A. T., Clausen, P. A., Pedersen, J. E., Lohr, M., Kermanizadeh, A., . . . Vogel, U. (2018). Association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA damage in human volunteers during fire extinction exercises. Mutagenesis, 33(1), 105-115. doi:10.1093/mutage/gex021

Andersen, M. H. G., Saber, A. T., Pedersen, J. E., Pedersen, P. B., Clausen, P. A., Lohr, M., . . . Moller, P. (2018). Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure, lung function, systemic inflammation, and genotoxicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from firefighters before and after a work shift. Environ Mol Mutagen, 59(6), 539-548. doi:10.1002/em.22193

Barregard, L., Sallsten, G., Gustafson, P., Andersson, L., Johansson, L., Basu, S., & Stigendal, L. (2006). Experimental exposure to wood-smoke particles in healthy humans: effects on markers of inflammation, coagulation, and lipid peroxidation. Inhal Toxicol, 18(11), 845-853. doi:10.1080/08958370600685798

Baumann, R., Gube, M., Markert, A., Davatgarbenam, S., Kossack, V., Gerhards, B., . . . Brand, P. (2018). Systemic serum amyloid A as a biomarker for exposure to zinc and/or copper-containing metal fumes. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol, 28(1), 84-91. doi:10.1038/jes.2016.86

Baumann, R., Joraslafsky, S., Markert, A., Rack, I., Davatgarbenam, S., Kossack, V., . . . Gube, M. (2016). IL-6, a central acute-phase mediator, as an early biomarker for exposure to zinc-based metal fumes. Toxicology, 373, 63-73. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2016.11.001

Bendtsen, K. M., Brostrom, A., Koivisto, A. J., Koponen, I., Berthing, T., Bertram, N., . . . Vogel, U. (2019). Airport emission particles: exposure characterization and toxicity following intratracheal instillation in mice. Part Fibre Toxicol, 16(1), 23. doi:10.1186/s12989-019-0305-5

Bengtson, S., Knudsen, K. B., Kyjovska, Z. O., Berthing, T., Skaug, V., Levin, M., . . . Vogel, U. (2017). Differences in inflammation and acute phase response but similar genotoxicity in mice following pulmonary exposure to graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide. PLoS One, 12(6), e0178355. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0178355

Bourdon, J. A., Halappanavar, S., Saber, A. T., Jacobsen, N. R., Williams, A., Wallin, H., . . . Yauk, C. L. (2012). Hepatic and pulmonary toxicogenomic profiles in mice intratracheally instilled with carbon black nanoparticles reveal pulmonary inflammation, acute phase response, and alterations in lipid homeostasis. Toxicol Sci, 127(2), 474-484. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfs119

Brand, P., Bauer, M., Gube, M., Lenz, K., Reisgen, U., Spiegel-Ciobanu, V. E., & Kraus, T. (2014). Relationship between welding fume concentration and systemic inflammation after controlled exposure of human subjects with welding fumes from metal inert gas brazing of zinc-coated materials. J Occup Environ Med, 56(1), 1-5. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000061

Christophersen, D. V., Moller, P., Thomsen, M. B., Lykkesfeldt, J., Loft, S., Wallin, H., . . . Jacobsen, N. R. (2021). Accelerated atherosclerosis caused by serum amyloid A response in lungs of ApoE(-/-) mice. FASEB J, 35(3), e21307. doi:10.1096/fj.202002017R

Danielsen, P. H., Bendtsen, K. M., Knudsen, K. B., Poulsen, S. S., Stoeger, T., & Vogel, U. (2021). Nanomaterial- and shape-dependency of TLR2 and TLR4 mediated signaling following pulmonary exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials in mice. Part Fibre Toxicol, 18(1), 40. doi:10.1186/s12989-021-00432-z

Erdely, A., Liston, A., Salmen-Muniz, R., Hulderman, T., Young, S. H., Zeidler-Erdely, P. C., . . . Simeonova, P. P. (2011). Identification of systemic markers from a pulmonary carbon nanotube exposure. J Occup Environ Med, 53(6 Suppl), S80-86. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e31821ad724

Gabay, C., & Kushner, I. (1999). Acute-phase proteins and other systemic responses to inflammation. N Engl J Med, 340(6), 448-454. doi:10.1056/NEJM199902113400607

Gutierrez, C. T., Loizides, C., Hafez, I., Brostrom, A., Wolff, H., Szarek, J., . . . Vogel, U. (2023). Acute phase response following pulmonary exposure to soluble and insoluble metal oxide nanomaterials in mice. Part Fibre Toxicol, 20(1), 4. doi:10.1186/s12989-023-00514-0

Hadrup, N., Knudsen, K. B., Berthing, T., Wolff, H., Bengtson, S., Kofoed, C., . . . Vogel, U. (2019). Pulmonary effects of nanofibrillated celluloses in mice suggest that carboxylation lowers the inflammatory and acute phase responses. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol, 66, 116-125. doi:10.1016/j.etap.2019.01.003

Hadrup, N., Rahmani, F., Jacobsen, N. R., Saber, A. T., Jackson, P., Bengtson, S., . . . Vogel, U. (2019). Acute phase response and inflammation following pulmonary exposure to low doses of zinc oxide nanoparticles in mice. Nanotoxicology, 13(9), 1275-1292. doi:10.1080/17435390.2019.1654004

Hartmann, L., Bauer, M., Bertram, J., Gube, M., Lenz, K., Reisgen, U., . . . Brand, P. (2014). Assessment of the biological effects of welding fumes emitted from metal inert gas welding processes of aluminium and zinc-plated materials in humans. Int J Hyg Environ Health, 217(2-3), 160-168. doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.04.008

Kim, J. Y., Chen, J. C., Boyce, P. D., & Christiani, D. C. (2005). Exposure to welding fumes is associated with acute systemic inflammatory responses. Occup Environ Med, 62(3), 157-163. doi:10.1136/oem.2004.014795

Meier, R., Cascio, W. E., Ghio, A. J., Wild, P., Danuser, B., & Riediker, M. (2014). Associations of short-term particle and noise exposures with markers of cardiovascular and respiratory health among highway maintenance workers. Environ Health Perspect, 122(7), 726-732. doi:10.1289/ehp.1307100

Moldoveanu, B., Otmishi, P., Jani, P., Walker, J., Sarmiento, X., Guardiola, J., . . . Yu, J. (2009). Inflammatory mechanisms in the lung. J Inflamm Res, 2, 1-11. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22096348

Monse, C., Hagemeyer, O., Raulf, M., Jettkant, B., van Kampen, V., Kendzia, B., . . . Merget, R. (2018). Concentration-dependent systemic response after inhalation of nano-sized zinc oxide particles in human volunteers. Part Fibre Toxicol, 15(1), 8. doi:10.1186/s12989-018-0246-4

Monse, C., Raulf, M., Jettkant, B., van Kampen, V., Kendzia, B., Schurmeyer, L., . . . Bunger, J. (2021). Health effects after inhalation of micro- and nano-sized zinc oxide particles in human volunteers. Arch Toxicol, 95(1), 53-65. doi:10.1007/s00204-020-02923-y

Poulsen, S. S., Knudsen, K. B., Jackson, P., Weydahl, I. E., Saber, A. T., Wallin, H., & Vogel, U. (2017). Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice. PLoS One, 12(4), e0174167. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174167

Poulsen, S. S., Saber, A. T., Mortensen, A., Szarek, J., Wu, D., Williams, A., . . . Vogel, U. (2015). Changes in cholesterol homeostasis and acute phase response link pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes to risk of cardiovascular disease. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 283(3), 210-222. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2015.01.011

Poulsen, S. S., Saber, A. T., Williams, A., Andersen, O., Kobler, C., Atluri, R., . . . Vogel, U. (2015). MWCNTs of different physicochemical properties cause similar inflammatory responses, but differences in transcriptional and histological markers of fibrosis in mouse lungs. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 284(1), 16-32. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2014.12.011

Saber, A. T., Halappanavar, S., Folkmann, J. K., Bornholdt, J., Boisen, A. M., Moller, P., . . . Wallin, H. (2009). Lack of acute phase response in the livers of mice exposed to diesel exhaust particles or carbon black by inhalation. Part Fibre Toxicol, 6, 12. doi:10.1186/1743-8977-6-12

Saber, A. T., Lamson, J. S., Jacobsen, N. R., Ravn-Haren, G., Hougaard, K. S., Nyendi, A. N., . . . Vogel, U. (2013). Particle-induced pulmonary acute phase response correlates with neutrophil influx linking inhaled particles and cardiovascular risk. PLoS One, 8(7), e69020. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069020

Sikkeland, L. I. B., Borander, A. K., Voie, O. A., Aass, H. C. D., Ovstebo, R., Aukrust, P., . . . Ueland, T. (2018). Systemic and Airway Inflammation after Exposure to Fumes from Military Small Arms. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 197(10), 1349-1353. doi:10.1164/rccm.201709-1857LE

Walker, E. S., Fedak, K. M., Good, N., Balmes, J., Brook, R. D., Clark, M. L., . . . Peel, J. L. (2022). Acute differences in blood lipids and inflammatory biomarkers following controlled exposures to cookstove air pollution in the STOVES study. Int J Environ Health Res, 32(3), 565-578. doi:10.1080/09603123.2020.1785402

Westberg, H., Elihn, K., Andersson, E., Persson, B., Andersson, L., Bryngelsson, I. L., . . . Sjogren, B. (2016). Inflammatory markers and exposure to airborne particles among workers in a Swedish pulp and paper mill. Int Arch Occup Environ Health, 89(5), 813-822. doi:10.1007/s00420-016-1119-5

Westberg, H., Hedbrant, A., Persson, A., Bryngelsson, I. L., Johansson, A., Ericsson, A., . . . Andersson, L. (2019). Inflammatory and coagulatory markers and exposure to different size fractions of particle mass, number and surface area air concentrations in Swedish iron foundries, in particular respirable quartz. Int Arch Occup Environ Health, 92(8), 1087-1098. doi:10.1007/s00420-019-01446-z

Wyatt, L. H., Devlin, R. B., Rappold, A. G., Case, M. W., & Diaz-Sanchez, D. (2020). Low levels of fine particulate matter increase vascular damage and reduce pulmonary function in young healthy adults. Part Fibre Toxicol, 17(1), 58. doi:10.1186/s12989-020-00389-5

Zhang, Z., Chang, L. Y., Lau, A. K. H., Chan, T. C., Chieh Chuang, Y., Chan, J., . . . Qian Lao, X. (2017). Satellite-based estimates of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter are associated with C-reactive protein in 30 034 Taiwanese adults. Int J Epidemiol, 46(4), 1126-1136. doi:10.1093/ije/dyx069