From the exposome to mechanistic understanding of chemical-induced adverse effects

Beate I. Escher*, Joerg Hackermuller, Tobias Polte, Stefan Scholz, Achim Aigner, Rolf Altenburger, Alexander Boehme, Stephanie K. Bopp, Werner Brack, Wibke Busch, Marc Chadeau-Hyam, Adrian Covaci, Adolf Eisentraeger, James J. Galligan, Natalia Garcia-Reyero, Thomas Hartung, Michaela Hein, Gunda Herberth, Annika Jahnke, Jos KleinjansNils Kluever, Martin Krauss, Marja Lamoree, Irina Lehmann, Till Luckenbach, Gary W. Miller, Andrea Mueller, David H. Phillips, Thorsten Reemtsma, Ulrike Rolle-Kampczyk, Gerrit Schueuermann, Benno Schwikowski, Yu-Mei Tan, Saskia Trump, Susanne Walter-Rohde, John F. Wambaugh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

The exposome encompasses an individual's exposure to exogenous chemicals, as well as endogenous chemicals that are produced or altered in response to external stressors. While the exposome concept has been established for human health, its principles can be extended to include broader ecological issues. The assessment of exposure is tightly interlinked with hazard assessment. Here, we explore if mechanistit understanding of the causal links between exposure and adverse effects on human health and the environment can be improved by integrating the exposome approach with the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) concept that structures and organizes the sequence of biological events from an initial molecular interaction of a chemical with a biological target to an adverse outcome. Complementing exposome research with the AOP concept may facilitate a mechanistic understanding of stress-induced adverse effects, examine the relative contributions from various components of the exposome, determine the primary risk drivers in complex mixtures, and promote an integrative assessment of chemical risks for both human and environmental health. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)97-106
Number of pages10
JournalEnvironment International
Volume99
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2017

Keywords

  • Exposome
  • AOP
  • Systems toxicology
  • Systems biology
  • Systems chemistry
  • Risk assessment
  • EFFECT-DIRECTED ANALYSIS
  • INTEGRATED TESTING STRATEGIES
  • ENVIRONMENTAL RISK-ASSESSMENT
  • HUMAN HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION
  • GENE-EXPRESSION DATA
  • OUTCOME PATHWAYS
  • PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS
  • ORGANIC MICROPOLLUTANTS
  • SYSTEMS TOXICOLOGY
  • SAFETY ASSESSMENT

Cite this