11 results match your criteria: "Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology[Affiliation]"
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol
April 2009
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO N.V.), Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Mol, Belgium.
Early detection of the sensitizing potential of chemicals is an emerging issue for chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In our institute, an in vitro classification model for prediction of chemical-induced skin sensitization based on gene expression signatures in human CD34+ progenitor-derived dendritic cells (DC) has been developed. This primary cell model is able to closely mimic the induction phase of sensitization by Langerhans cells in the skin, but it has drawbacks, such as the availability of cord blood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
September 2008
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Boeretang 200, Mol, Belgium.
This review first describes the mechanism and cell types involved in allergic asthma, which is a complex clinical disease characterized by airway obstruction, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli. The development of allergic asthma exists of three phases, namely the induction phase, the early-phase asthmatic reaction (EAR) and the late-phase asthmatic reaction (LAR). In the induction phase, antigen-presenting cells play a major role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
June 2008
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO NV), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
Occupational exposure to chemicals is one of the main causes of respiratory allergy and asthma. Identification of chemicals that trigger allergic asthma is difficult as underlying processes and specific markers have not yet been clearly defined. Moreover, adequate classification of the respiratory toxicity of chemicals is hampered due to the lack of validated in vivo and in vitro test methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunol Lett
October 2007
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
Asthma is the most common chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways among children. It is a complex clinical disease characterized by airway obstruction, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli. The development of allergic asthma exists of three phases, namely the induction phase, the early-phase asthmatic reaction (EAR) and the late-phase asthmatic reaction (LAR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Immunol
May 2007
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
The assessment of the skin sensitising capacity of chemicals is up to now investigated using in vivo animal tests. However there has been an increasing public and governmental concern regarding the use of animals for chemical screening. This has raised the need for the development of validated in vitro alternatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol Appl Pharmacol
October 2006
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
The detection of the sensitizing potential of chemicals is of great importance to industry. A promising in vitro alternative to the currently applied animal assays for sensitization testing makes use of dendritic cells (DCs) that have the capability to process and present antigens to naive T cells and induce their proliferation. Here, we studied changes in gene expression profiles after exposing DCs to the contact allergen nickel sulfate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
October 2005
Vito (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
We studied the changes in gene expression after exposure of human dendritic cells (DCs) to the model allergen dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). DCs were derived from CD34(+) progenitor cells of three different donors and exposed to 10 microM DNCB or solvent for several time intervals (3, 6 and 12h). cDNA microarrays were used to assess the transcriptional activity of 11,000 human genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
October 2005
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
The aim of this study was to obtain more insight into the effect of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on the maturation of primary human dendritic cells. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DC) derived from seven different donors were exposed to different DEP concentrations (0.2,2,20,200 and 2,000 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and changes in the surface expression of HLA-DR, CD86 and CD83 were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol Lett
January 2005
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
We here investigated wether genes encoding the interleukins IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8, and the chemokines CCL2, CCL3, CCL3L1 and CCL4 are useful markers for sensitization testing in CD34+-progenitor derived dendritic cells (CD34-DC). CD34-DC from at least three donors were exposed during 0.5 up to 24h to the chemical sensitizers nickel sulphate, oxazolone, 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and eugenol, and to the irritants sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and benzalkonium sulphate (BC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol In Vitro
June 2004
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) have been reported to induce or aggravate pulmonary diseases, including cancer and asthma. Alveolar macrophages are important cellular targets for DEP and have important immunological and inflammatory properties in the response to foreign substances in the lung. In vitro cultures of human THP-1 cells were differentiated to macrophages and were exposed to 1600 ng/ml DEP during 6 and 24 h.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioelectromagnetics
April 2003
Centre of Expertise in Environmental Toxicology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), Mol, Belgium.
Interference of 50 Hz extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) with the known aneugen vinblastine (VBL) on micronucleus formation was tested with the in vitro cytokinesis block micronucleus assay in human lymphocyte cultures. Isolated lymphocyte cultures were prepared from 18 individuals. Three groups of quadruplicate cultures from six unrelated individuals were exposed to 50 Hz ELF-MF of background (bkg), 80 and 800 microT, respectively, during the complete incubation period (72 h).
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