Research Publications (Food Safety)

Mitochondria are important organelles in human cells, providing more than 95% of the energy. However, some drugs and environmental chemicals could induce mitochondrial dysfunction, which might cause complex diseases and even worsen the condition of patients with mitochondrial damage. Some drugs have been withdrawn from the market due to their severe mitochondrial toxicity, such as troglitazone.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a raw material of polycarbonate and epoxy resin. It is used for various household electrical appliances, electronic equipment, office automation equipment, medical equipment, mobile phones, paints for automobiles, internal surface coating of cans, and adhesives for civil engineering and construction. BPA is a well‐known endocrine‐disrupting chemical, and it was reported that BPA has an adverse effect on the nervous and immune systems.

Lung cancer is the most common neoplasm and the primary cause‐related mortality in developed and in most of nondeveloped countries. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that even at low arsenic doses, the lungs are one of the main target organs and that chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with an increase in lung cancer development.

The G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor 1 (Gper1) is a membrane‐bound estrogen receptor that mediates non‐genomic action of estrogens. A Gper1‐mediating pathway has been implicated in reproductive activities in fish, including oocyte growth, but Gper1 has been characterized in only a very limited number of fish species.

To improve our understanding of underlying toxic mechanisms, it is important to evaluate differences in effects that a variety of metals exert at concentrations representing the same toxic level to the organism.

Worldwide demand for petroleum products has resulted in increased oil and gas activities in many countries. Conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction, production, and transport lead to increased levels of petroleum‐derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment.

Itai‐itai (Japanese, “It hurts! It hurts!”) disease (IID), a form of osteomalacia, can be induced in ovariectomized rats by long‐term administration of cadmium (Cd). This IID rat model shows severe anemia, severe nephropathy, and osteomalacia accompanied by iron (Fe) deposition at the mineralization front. We characterized the pathogenesis of Cd‐induced bone lesions by investigating the relationship between Fe deposition and osteoid tissue formation in ovariectomized rats.

This study aimed to observe the effects of Selenium (Se) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)‐induced uterine injury in female mice and necrosis of human endometrial microvascular endothelial cells (HEMECs). Fifty female mice were randomly divided into control group; AFB1 group; Se group (0.2 mg/kg each day); AFB1 + Se group; and positive control group. After continuous treatment for 30 days, uterine tissues were harvested, which were used for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.

Asarone isomers are naturally occurring in Acorus calamus Linné, Guatteria gaumeri Greenman, and Aniba hostmanniana Nees. These secondary plant metabolites belong to the class of phenylpropenes (phenylpropanoids or alkenylbenzenes). They are further chemically classified into the propenylic trans‐ and cis‐isomers α‐asarone and β‐asarone and the allylic γ‐asarone.

Cadmium (Cd) is an occupational and environmental heavy metal pollutant derived from many sources that is linked to endothelial homeostasis. The endothelium is an important site of Cd deposition, while increasing evidence has revealed there is a close relationship between endothelial dysfunction and abnormal lipid metabolism. However, the effects of the alterations in lipid metabolism on endothelial cells (ECs) after Cd exposure still remain unclear.

Cetylated fatty acids (CFAs) are a group of fats that contain a single ester group within a hydrocarbon chain, which are reported to have beneficial biological effects. A novel mixture of CFAs produced by combining fatty acids derived from refined olive oil with cetyl esters (Lipocet®) is proposed for use as a food ingredient and was therefore subjected to a nonclinical safety assessment.

Contamination of animal feed with Fusarium spp results in accumulation of mycotoxins including deoxynivalenol. In animals, deoxynivalenol is metabolized to de‐epoxy deoxynivalenol (DOM‐1), which is generally considered to be a non‐toxic metabolite; however, recent studies demonstrated that DOM‐1 can reduce steroid production and induce apoptosis in the bovine ovary.

Neurotoxicity studies are important in the preclinical stages of drug development process, because exposure to certain compounds that may enter the brain across a permeable blood brain barrier damages neurons and other supporting cells such as astrocytes. This could, in turn, lead to various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's or Huntington's disease as well as various dementias.

The regulatory community is transitioning to the use of nonanimal methods for dermal sensitization assessments; however, some in vitro assays have limitations in their domain of applicability depending on the properties of chemicals being tested. This study explored the utility of epidermal sensitization assay (EpiSensA) to evaluate the sensitization potential of complex and/or “difficult to test” chemicals.

Arsenic is a contaminant found in many foods and drinking water. Exposure to arsenic during development can cause improper neuronal progenitor cell development, differentiation, and function, while in vitro studies have determined that acute arsenic exposure to stem and progenitor cells reduced their ability to differentiate. In the current study, P19 mouse embryonal stem cells were exposed continuously to 0.1‐μM (7.5 ppb) arsenic for 32 weeks.

Environmental epigenetic findings shed new light on the roles of epigenetic regulations in environmental exposure‐induced toxicities or disease susceptibilities. Currently, environmental emerging contaminants (ECs) are in focus for further investigation due to the evidence of human exposure in addition to their environmental occurrences. However, the adverse effects of these environmental ECs on health through epigenetic mechanisms are still poorly addressed in many aspects.

Quantum dots (QDs), as one of the emerging nanomaterials, have been widely studied by scientists due to their advantages and potential in bioimaging, especially cell imaging. Cadmium (Cd)‐based QDs, which have the best photoluminescence property, have received widespread attention. However, due to the obvious toxicity problem of these QDs, their cell imaging application is hindered.

Chemical warfare (CW) exposure could be fatal to military and civilians through skin contamination. Our work and others focus on investigating stratum corneum reservoir with less regards to skin appendageal routes including hair follicles. Here, C‐14 CW simulants (CWS) with specific activity of 0.1 mCi/ml were tested on abdominal and scalp human cadaver skin using flow‐through diffusion system.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) represent genotoxic factors that commonly occur in the living and working environment. The dermal form of exposure represents a significant part of the total load of dangerous chemical and physical environmental factors to which an organism is subjected. However, simultaneous dermal exposures to PAHs (pharmaceutical crude coal tar [CCT]) and UV (UVA and UVB) also have therapeutic uses.

We compared the toxicokinetics of methylmercury (MeHg) in KK‐Ay type 2 diabetic mice and C57BL/6J mice to evaluate how metabolic changes associated with diabetes affect MeHg toxicokinetics. A single dose of MeHg (0.2, 1, or 5 mg mercury/kg) was administered orally to 12‐week‐old KK‐Ay and C57BL/6J male mice. Total mercury concentrations in plasma, blood cells, whole blood, and tissues (brain, kidneys, liver, and pancreas) were measured after 4, 7, 11, and 14 days.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a complex group of bioactive molecules largely observed in human breast milk but also occurring in limited amounts in other mammalian milks. Advances in biotechnology have enabled production of human‐identical milk oligosaccharides (HiMOs), structurally identical molecules to HMOs found naturally in human milk, intended for addition to infant formula to more closely replicate breast milk.

Percutaneous penetration of chemicals from clothing can result in both acute and chronic toxicities. Although personal protective equipment composed of nonwoven material can provide thorough protection, it is often uncomfortable under normal occupational conditions. Certain everyday textiles are often utilized as protective clothing due to their cost, comfort, and convenience. Although common textiles may cover most skin, certain regions remain exposed by such outfits.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of environmental cadmium exposure according to urinary cadmium concentration (U‐Cd) on noncancer mortality in a general Japanese population. We conducted a longitudinal study for 19 years in 2804 inhabitants (1107 men and 1697 women) in some cadmium nonpolluted regions in Japan. The participants were classified into quartiles based on U‐Cd (μg/g cre) adjusted for urinary creatinine.