For 50 years, bisphenol A (BPA) has been extensively used as a colour developer in thermal printing papers. The European Union and several other countries have drastically restricted BPA's use in thermal paper, due to its endocrine-disrupting properties. Consequently, bisphenol S (BPS) and Pergafast 201 (PF201) are increasingly used as substitutes, despite their percutaneous absorption remains poorly documented. We conducted an ex vivo study to achieve a comparative assessment of the skin absorption and metabolism of BPA, BPS and PF201. Tritium-labelled compounds were topically applied to viable human skin explants mounted on static Franz diffusion cells, providing complete mass-balance data compliant with OECD recommendations (n° 428, 28, 156). Absorbed doses were 5.1 ± 2.4 % for BPA, and below 1 % for BPS and PF201 (BPA > BPS ∼ PF201). Dermal delivery reached 16.1 ± 3.5 % for BPA, 8.7 ± 4.2 % for BPS and 3.5 ± 1.3 % for PF201 (BPA > BPS > PF201). Additional experiments were conducted for PF201 at five different doses (7.8-638.5 ng/cm2) to determine skin permeation parameters. PF201's absorbed dose and dermal delivery remained constant, its permeability coefficient was found to range between 0.63 and 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ cm/h, and its flux between 0.75 and 84.0 × 10⁻3 ng/cm2/h. No PF201 metabolism or degradation were observed in skin explants. Our results demonstrate that despite limited absorption, PF201 remains in the skin after 24 h, suggesting prolonged bioavailability. This study closes major knowledge gaps related to the absorption and metabolism of PF201 through viable human skin and provides useful data for improved risk assessment.
Bisphenol A (BPA) alternatives are increasingly used in the manufacture of industrial and consumer products, following regulatory restrictions on BPA. However, insufficient safety data on these substitutes raise concern as regards potential regrettable substitutions. Under the EU Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC), Work Package 5 (WP5) addresses this challenge by applying a human-relevant tiered hazard assessment strategy grounded on OECD test guidelines as first tier and expanding the battery to include NAMs (New Approach Methodologies). Eight BPA alternatives were prioritized for studies addressing key toxicological endpoints, namely, endocrine disruption (ED), developmental neurotoxicity (DNT), immunotoxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity and metabolic fate examination (detoxification vs. potential bioactivation), to enable early identification of biological activity and support cross-endpoint prioritization. This manuscript describes the structure and implementation of the testing framework. This integrated testing strategy proposes a structured approach to identify substances of potential concern, guide targeted higher-tier studies, and support regulatory prioritization. PARC WP5 framework is testing whether coordinated NAM-based methods may contribute to next-generation risk assessment and help prevent regrettable substitutions among BPA alternatives for rapid regulatory adoption. Detailed experimental results will be reported separately upon completion of the project.
Abstract Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play a key role in the metabolism of both xenobiotics and endogenous compounds, and the activity of some CYP isoforms are susceptible to induction and/or inhibition by certain chemicals. As CYP induction and inhibition can significantly alter the in vivo fate of xenobiotics i.e., levels of parent chemicals and/or metabolites, and thus toxicity, CYP induction/inhibition data is needed for regulatory chemical toxicity hazard assessment. Utilizing available human in vivo pharmaceutical data, a successful validation was previously conducted on the in vitro HepaRG™ CYP induction test method for measurement of induction of three key human CYP enzymes CYP1A1/1A2, 2B6 and 3A4. However, further validation data was required to demonstrate applicability of the test method to also accurately detect CYP induction mediated by industrial and pesticidal chemicals. Here we report on the supplementary validation of the HepaRG™ CYP enzyme induction test method carried out in two laboratories under the auspices of the EU Horizon2020-funded project “GOLIATH”, to expand the chemical applicability domain beyond pharmaceutical chemicals. Successful transfer was demonstrated and reproducibility assessed for the original 10 selected proficiency pharmaceuticals, plus three reference inducers together with six additional non-pharmaceutical ‘augmentation chemicals’. The method and chemical selection were found to be reliable and relevant for the routine assessment of human CYP induction. For the augmentation chemicals being proposed as additional proficiency chemicals, the test method achieved a reasonable but not optimum reproducibility. Recommendations are proposed to improve the test method’s specificity, reflecting the inherent uncertainty around borderline CYP inducing chemicals. Plain language summary Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes help break down drugs and other chemicals in the body. Their activity can be increased (induced) or decreased (inhibited), which can change how toxic a chemical is and when it is excreted. Because of this, CYP data is important for chemical safety assessments. A laboratory-based method using HepaRG cells was previously validated to measure induction of key CYP enzymes (CYP1A1/1A2, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4) using pharmaceutical chemicals. This study aimed to show that it also works well for industrial and pesticidal chemicals. In the EU funded GOLIATH project, two laboratories tested 10 pharmaceutical and 6 non-pharmaceutical chemicals. The method showed good reliability overall and strong reproducibility for pharmaceuticals. For non-pharmaceutical chemicals, results were acceptable but less consistent. The study concludes that the method is useful for routine testing, but improvements are needed to increase accuracy and better handle chemicals that show weak or borderline CYP induction effects.
Metabolism disrupting chemicals (MDCs) are a class of endocrine disrupting substances that promote metabolic changes leading to metabolic disorders in humans. Central to assessing their adverse effects is the need to better understand their modes of action (MoA). Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play a major role in xenobiotic metabolism, but also catalyse many endogenous metabolic reactions. Therefore, modulation of CYP functionality may impact homeostasis, contributing to adverse outcomes. At the functional level, alteration of the activity of human CYPs by MDCs largely remains unexplored. In this study we investigated the capability of six candidate MDCs, bisphenol A (BPA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), tributyltin (TBT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), triclosan (TCS) and triphenylphosphate (TPP) to induce CYP1A2, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4 activities in the human hepatic HepaRG cell line. The CYP induction test method previously validated for pharmaceuticals was optimised and selected MDCs were tested in the context of the European Horizon 2020 GOLIATH project. Induction was revealed using a cocktail of CYP-selective probe substrates, followed by probe metabolite quantification by mass spectrometry. All MDCs except TCS induced CYP activities. PFOA, TBT, p,p'-DDE and TPP induced CYP1A2, TPP being the most potent inducer. BPA, PFOA, TBT and TPP induced CYP2B6, PFOA being the most potent inducer. BPA, PFOA, TBT, p,p'-DDE and TPP all induced CYP3A4, p,p'-DDE and BPA being the most potent inducers. These results highlight the capability of candidate MDCs to induce key CYP activities in a human relevant hepatic model, paving the way for a better understanding of MDCs mechanisms of action.
Identification of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in a regulatory context requires a high level of evidence. However, lines of evidence (e.g. human, in vivo, in vitro or in silico) are heterogeneous and incomplete for quantifying evidence of the adverse effects and mechanisms involved. To date, for the regulatory appraisal of metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs), no harmonised guidance to assess the weight of evidence has been developed at the EU or international level. To explore how to develop this, we applied a formal Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) approach within the European GOLIATH project. EKE captures expert judgment in a quantitative manner and provides an estimate of uncertainty of the final opinion. As a proof of principle, we selected one suspected MDC -triphenyl phosphate (TPP) - based on its related adverse endpoints (obesity/adipogenicity) relevant to metabolic disruption and a putative Molecular Initiating Event (MIE): activation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). We conducted a systematic literature review and assessed the quality of the lines of evidence with two independent groups of experts within GOLIATH, with the objective of categorising the metabolic disruption properties of TPP, by applying an EKE approach. Having followed the entire process separately, both groups arrived at the same conclusion, designating TPP as a “suspected MDC” with an overall quantitative agreement exceeding 85%, indicating robust reproducibility. The EKE method provides to be an important way to bring together scientists with diverse expertise and is recommended for future work in this area.
Chlorothalonil (CTN) is a popular fungicide widely used in the world. However, its determination in serum samples is highly challenging, preventing a reliable investigation of human CTN internal exposure. We first investigated CTN's behaviour all along this analytical process on spiked serum samples. We used a radiolabelled 14C-CTN standard to monitor CTN in spiked serum samples and observed (1) a complete degradation of CTN in deproteinised serum samples after 4 h of contact; (2) a strong interaction between serum proteins and CTN byproducts, with only 20 % of the radioactivity found to be extractable after 24 h of contact and (3) a slightly improved stability of CTN in serum following a first step of acidification or EDTA addition to samples. Using liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry, 4-hydroxy-2,5,6-trichloroisophthalonitrile (HCTN) was identified as the major serum by-product of CTN. A protocol was developed to monitor both extractable CTN and HCTN from serum. This method was implemented on 36 human adult serum samples from the French "Esteban" Cohort. No free CTN was identified in these serum samples. Conversely, HCTN was detected in all samples at concentrations around 15 +/- 2 ng mL- 1, corresponding to the extractable fraction of CTN. Thus, HCTN may constitute a relevant biomarker of human internal exposure. Of note, the potential CTN contamination during blood collection could also be a source of HCTN detection in serum samples. Finally, blood sampling in EDTA tubes would seem more appropriate than in dry tubes for any future internal exposure studies on CTN.
Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, has been associated with a variety of adverse effects in humans including metabolic, immunological, reproductive, and neurodevelopmental effects, raising concern about its health impact. In the EU, it has been classified as toxic to reproduction and as an endocrine disruptor and was thus included in the candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). On this basis, its use has been banned or restricted in some products. As a consequence, industries turned to bisphenol alternatives, such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), which are now found in various consumer products, as well as in human matrices at a global scale. However, due to their toxicity, these two bisphenols are in the process of being regulated. Other BPA alternatives, whose potential toxicity remains largely unknown due to a knowledge gap, have also started to be used in manufacturing processes. The gradual restriction of the use of BPA underscores the importance of understanding the potential risks associated with its alternatives to avoid regrettable substitutions. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the potential hazards related to BPA alternatives prioritized by European Regulatory Agencies based on their regulatory relevance and selected to be studied under the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC): BPE, BPAP, BPP, BPZ, BPS-MAE, and TCBPA. The focus is on data related to toxicokinetic, endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity, developmental neurotoxicity, and genotoxicity/carcinogenicity, which were considered the most relevant endpoints to assess the hazard related to those substances. The goal here is to identify the data gaps in BPA alternatives toxicology and hence formulate the future directions that will be taken in the frame of the PARC project, which seeks also to enhance chemical risk assessment methodologies using new approach methodologies (NAMs).
In past times, the analysis of endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals has mainly been focused on (anti-)estrogenic or (anti-)androgenic properties, as well as on aspects of steroidogenesis and the modulation of thyroid signaling. More recently, disruption of energy metabolism and related signaling pathways by exogenous substances, so-called metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) have come into focus. While general effects such as body and organ weight changes are routinely monitored in animal studies, there is a clear lack of mechanistic test systems to determine and characterize the metabolism-disrupting potential of chemicals. In order to contribute to filling this gap, one of the project within EU-funded Partnership for the Assessment of Risks of Chemicals (PARC) aims at developing novel in vitro methods for the detection of endocrine metabolic disruptors. Efforts will comprise projects related to specific signaling pathways, for example, involving mTOR or xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptors, studies on hepatocytes, adipocytes and pancreatic beta cells covering metabolic and morphological endpoints, as well as metabolism-related zebrafish-based tests as an alternative to classic rodent bioassays. This paper provides an overview of the approaches and methods of these PARC projects and how this will contribute to the improvement of the toxicological toolbox to identify substances with endocrine disrupting properties and to decipher their mechanisms of action.
To determine correlations between chemicals in follicular fluid (FF) and follicular reproductive hormone levels. The analysis was part of a larger cohort study to determine associations between exposure to EDCs and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. FF was aspirated from a single leading follicle per participant. Demographics and data on exposure to EDCs were self-reported by the participants using a questionnaire. The concentrations of estradiol (E2), progesterone (PG), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and inhibin B, as well as that of 12 phthalate metabolites and 12 phenolic chemicals were measured in each FF sample. Multivariate linear regression model was used to identify the drivers of hormone levels based on participant’s age, BMI, smoking status, and chemical exposure for the monitored chemicals detected in more than 50
Many studies suggest that the potential impact of bisphenol S (BPS) as an endocrine disruptor is comparable to that of bisphenol A (BPA). However, in vitro-to-in vivo and from animal to human extrapolations require knowledge of the plasma free fraction of the active endocrine compounds. The present study aimed to characterise BPA and BPS binding to plasma proteins both in humans and different animal species. The plasma protein binding of BPA and BPS was assessed by equilibrium dialysis in plasma from adult female mice, rats, monkeys, early and late pregnant women as well as paired cord blood, early and late pregnant sheep and foetal sheep. The fraction of free BPA was independent of plasma concentrations and ranged between 4% and 7% in adults. This fraction was 2 to 3.5 times lower than that of BPS in all species except sheep, ranging from 3% to 20%. Plasma binding of BPA and BPS was not affected by the stage of pregnancy, BPA and BPS free fractions representing about 4% and 9% during early and late human pregnancy, respectively. These fractions were lower than the free fractions of BPA (7%) and BPS (12%) in cord blood. Our results suggest that similarly to BPA, BPS is extensively bound to proteins, mainly albumin. The higher fraction of free BPS compared to BPA may have implications for human exposure assessment since BPS free plasma concentrations are expected to be 2 to 3.5 times higher than that of BPA for similar plasma concentration.
Ovarian cells are critical for reproduction and steroidogenesis, which are functions that can be impacted by exposure to xenobiotics. As in other extra-hepatic tissues, biotransformation events may occur at the ovarian level. Such metabolic events deserve interest, notably as they may modulate the overall exposure and toxicity of xenobiotics. In this study, the comparative metabolic fate of two bisphenols was investigated in ovarian cells. Bisphenol A (BPA), a model endocrine disruptor, and its major substitute bisphenol S (BPS) were selected. Bovine granulosa cells (primary cultures) and theca explants (ex vivo tissue) were exposed for 24 hr to tritium-labeled BPA, BPS and their respective glucuronides (i.e. their major circulating forms), at concentrations consistent with low-dose exposure scenarios. Mass balance studies were performed, followed by radio-HPLC profiling. The capability of both cell compartments to biotransform BPA and BPS into their respective sulfo-conjugates was demonstrated, with sulfation being the predominant metabolic route. In theca, there was a significantly higher persistence of BPA (compared to BPS) residues over 24 hr. Moreover, only theca explants were able to decon-jugate inactive BPA-glucuronide and BPS-glucuronide back into their biologically active aglycone forms. Deconjugation rates were demonstrated to be higher for BPS-G than for BPA-G. These findings raise concerns about the in situ direct release of bisphenols at the level of the ovary and demonstrate the relevance of exploring the biotransformation of bisphenols and their circulating metabolites in different ovarian cells with specific metabolic capabilities. This work also provides essential knowledge for the improved risk assessment of bisphenols.
Microbiological (M), chemical (C), and nutritional (N) risks associated with food products are usually assessed and managed independently by experts in public services or food companies. This can render difficult the comparison of food products in term of overall risk for the consumer. The objective of this study was to suggest a relatively simple method to (i) classify food products based on their M, C and N risks, and (ii) aggregate these risks and rank the food products accordingly. The method was developed and applied to 17 ready-to-eat (RTE) dishes available on the French market. With regard to food safety, the individual M and C risks were characterized considering likelihood and severity as recommended by the Codex Alimentarius. With regard to nutrition/health, the N risk was estimated based on the tendency of the dish to contribute to nutrient adequacy and to a healthy eating pattern. Finally, the outranking method PROMETHEE was applied to aggregate the three M, C, N risks and rank the food dishes. Food products were ranked relatively to each other, not in absolute terms. When we attributed the same weight to M, C and N risks, the RTE dish "Duck Parmentier" had the highest risk score while "Papillote of chicken, potatoes and small vegetables" and "Vegetarian plate vegetables and quinoa" had the lowest. However, this overall ranking changed according to the weight assigned to individual M, C and N risks, at least for food products whose scores varied according to risk types, such as"sushi discovery" (high M and C risks, low N risk). Since the risk ranking method developed here was built with assumptions and hypotheses related to the specific case study, more applications are needed to assess whether it can be generic. Nevertheless, this method is well grounded, objective, transparent, relatively fast and easy to set up. It might lead to further development of decision tools, particularly for consumers. This study paves the way towards food product multi-risk ranking.
New approach methodologies (NAMs) have the potential to become a major component of regulatory risk assessment, however, their actual implementation is challenging. The European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) was designed to address many of the challenges that exist for the development and implementation of NAMs in modern chemical risk assessment. PARC’s proximity to national and European regulatory agencies is envisioned to ensure that all the research and innovation projects that are initiated within PARC agree with actual regulatory needs. One of the main aims of PARC is to develop innovative methodologies that will directly aid chemical hazard identification, risk assessment, and regulation/policy. This will facilitate the development of NAMs for use in risk assessment, as well as the transition from an endpoint-based animal testing strategy to a more mechanistic-based NAMs testing strategy, as foreseen by the Tox21 and the EU Chemical’s Strategy for Sustainability. This work falls under work package 5 (WP5) of the PARC initiative. There are three different tasks within WP5, and this paper is a general overview of the five main projects in the Task 5.2 ‘ Innovative Tools and methods for Toxicity Testing, ’ with a focus on Human Health. This task will bridge essential regulatory data gaps pertaining to the assessment of toxicological prioritized endpoints such as non-genotoxic carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption (mainly thyroid), metabolic disruption, and (developmental and adult) neurotoxicity, thereby leveraging OECD’s and PARC’s AOP frameworks. This is intended to provide regulatory risk assessors and industry stakeholders with relevant, affordable and reliable assessment tools that will ultimately contribute to the application of next-generation risk assessment (NGRA) in Europe and worldwide.
Fetal brain development depends on maternofetal thyroid function. In rodents and sheep, perinatal BPA exposure is associated with maternal and/or fetal thyroid disruption and alterations in central nervous system development as demonstrated by metabolic modulations in the encephala of mice. We hypothesized that a gestational exposure to a low dose of BPA affects maternofetal thyroid function and fetal brain development in a region-specific manner. Pregnant ewes, a relevant model for human thyroid and brain development, were exposed to BPA (5 mu g/kg bw/d, sc). The thyroid status of ewes during gestation and term fetuses at delivery was monitored. Fetal brain development was assessed by metabolic fingerprints at birth in 10 areas followed by metabolic network-based analysis. BPA treatment was associated with a significant time-dependent decrease in maternal TT4 serum concentrations. For 8 fetal brain regions, statistical models allowed discriminating BPA-treated from control lambs. Metabolic network computational analysis revealed that prenatal exposure to BPA modulated several metabolic pathways, in particular excitatory and inhibitory amino-acid, cholinergic, energy and lipid homeostasis pathways. These pathways might contribute to BPA-related neurobehavioral and cognitive disorders. Discrimination was particularly clear for the dorsal hippocampus, the cerebellar vermis, the dorsal hypothalamus, the caudate nucleus and the lateral part of the frontal cortex. Compared with previous results in rodents, the use of a larger animal model allowed to examine specific brain areas, and generate evidence of the distinct region-specific effects of fetal BPA exposure on the brain metabolome. These modifications occur concomitantly to subtle maternal thyroid function alteration. The functional link between such moderate thyroid changes and fetal brain metabolomic fingerprints remains to be determined as well as the potential implication of other modes of action triggered by BPA such as estrogenic ones. Our results pave the ways for new scientific strategies aiming at linking environmental endocrine disruption and altered neurodevelopment.
“Obemirisk – Knowledge platform for assessing the risk of Bisphenols on gut microbiota and its role in obesogenic phenotype: looking for biomarkers” was a knowledge transfer project funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that integrated a multidisciplinary team from Spain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Poland. This project aimed to strengthen the knowledge capacity to assess the risk of bisphenol A and several structural analogues on gut microbiota that could mediate the obesogenic phenotype in childhood. Protocols and methodologies from different fields such as chemical analysis (food and biosamples), nutrition (surveys and questionnaires), microbiology (culturomics and metagenomics), and gene reporter assay (AhR-Ligand) have been applied and shared. Several data generated under the project are available under open publications and databases for the Consortium and scientific community. Common documents and publications integrating data from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), bisphenols, microbiota dysbiosis and obesity were elaborated. A networking and specific capacity-building programmes have been implemented to produce and share the new data on bisphenols data food composition, microbiota and its impact on obesity between providers and recipients’ partners. Scientific exchanges and specific designed courses provided training for students in the risk characterization related domains. The project was mainly focused on the bisphenols´ presence in consumed foods by Spanish children and in several children biosamples (saliva, urine, nails, and hair). Moreover, a pilot project on obese vs. normal-weight children allowed to determine the obesity-linked microbiota dysbiosis through metagenomics and specific biomarkers of the dysregulated microbiota-immune system axis (AhR-Ligands). The Obemirisk project applied a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to establish scientific data compilation for harmonising risk assessment and to perform trainings on next generation of risk assessment where microbiome disruption might become a robust biomarker to be used in food safety. Several aspects of the process of capacity building have been mainly conceptual due to the COVId-19 pandemic and will be further implemented through presential exchanges. Moreover, the consortium work strategy can also propose further EU collaborations for refining and elucidating the impact and mechanisms of bisphenols altering human microbiomes and triggering obesity. The knowledge, analyses and the integrative approach will be extrapolated for other foods, age ranges, geographical areas, and other biomatrices. For grant agreements: © OBEMIRISK consortium, 2022
The gut microbiota–intestine–liver relationship is emerging as an important factor in multiple hepatic pathologies, but the hepatic sensors and effectors of microbial signals are not well defined. By comparing publicly available liver transcriptomics data from conventional vs. germ-free mice, we identified pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) transcriptional activity as strongly affected by the absence of gut microbes. Microbiota depletion using antibiotics in Pxr+/+ vs Pxr-/- C57BL/6J littermate mice followed by hepatic transcriptomics revealed that most microbiota-sensitive genes were PXR-dependent in the liver in males, but not in females. Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that microbiota–PXR interaction controlled fatty acid and xenobiotic metabolism. We confirmed that antibiotic treatment reduced liver triglyceride content and hampered xenobiotic metabolism in the liver from Pxr+/+ but not Pxr-/- male mice. These findings identify PXR as a hepatic effector of microbiota-derived signals that regulate the host’s sexually dimorphic lipid and xenobiotic metabolisms in the liver. Thus, our results reveal a potential new mechanism for unexpected drug–drug or food–drug interactions.
As a result of the cosmetics testing ban, safety evaluations of cosmetics ingredients must now be conducted using animal-free methods. A common approach is read across, which is mainly based on structural similarities but can also be conducted using biological endpoints. Here, metabolomics was used to assess biological effects to enable a read across between a candidate cosmetic ingredient, DIV665, only studied using in vitro assays, and a structurally similar reference compound, PA102, previously investigated using traditional in vivo toxicity methods. The (1) cutaneous distribution after topical application, (2) skin metabolism, (3) liver metabolism and (4) effect on the intracellular metabolomic profiles of in vitro skin and hepatic models, SkinEthic®RHE model and HepaRG® cells were investigated. The compounds exhibited similar skin penetration and skin and liver metabolism, with small differences attributed to their physicochemical properties. The effects of both compounds on the metabolome of RHE and HepaRG® cells were similarly small, both in terms of the metabolites modulated and the magnitude of changes. The patterns of metabolome changes did not fit with any known signature relating to a mode of action known to be linked to liver toxicity e.g. modification of the Krebs cycle, urea synthesis and lipid metabolism, were more reflective of transient adaptive responses. Overall, these studies indicate that PA102 is biologically similar to DIV665, allowing read across of safety endpoints, such as in vivo sub-chronic (but not reproduction toxicity) studies, for the former to be applied to DIV665. Based on this, in the absence of animal data (which is prohibited for new chemicals), it could be concluded that DIV665 applied according to the consumer topical use scenario, is similar to PA102, and is predicted to exhibit low local skin and systemic toxicity.