Environment International (Feb 2017)

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

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

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 99
pp. 97 – 106

Abstract

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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 mechanistic 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. Keywords: Exposome, AOP, Systems toxicology, Systems biology, Systems chemistry, Risk assessment