Establishing relationships between particle-induced in vitro and in vivo inflammation endpoints to better extrapolate between in vitro markers and in vivo fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Toxicity assessment for regulatory purposes is starting to move away from traditional in vivo methods and towards new approach methodologies (NAM) such as high-throughput in vitro models and computational tools. For materials with limited hazard information, utilising quantitative Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) in a testing strategy involving NAM can produce information relevant for risk assessment. The aim of this work was to determine the feasibility of linking in vitro endpoints to in vivo events, and moreover to key events associated with the onset of a chosen adverse outcome to aid in the development of NAM testing strategies. To do this, we focussed on the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) relating to the onset of pulmonary fibrosis. RESULTS: We extracted in vivo and in vitro dose–response information for particles known to induce this pulmonary fibrosis (crystalline silica, specifically α-quartz). To test the in vivo–in vitro extrapolation (IVIVE) determined for crystalline silica, cerium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-CeO(2)) were used as a case study allowing us to evaluate our findings with a less studied substance. The IVIVE methodology outlined in this paper is formed of five steps, which can be more generally summarised into two categories (i) aligning the in vivo and in vitro dosimetry, (ii) comparing the dose–response curves and derivation of conversion factors. CONCLUSION: Our analysis shows promising results with regards to correlation of in vitro cytokine secretion to in vivo acute pulmonary inflammation assessed by polymorphonuclear leukocyte influx, most notable is the potential of using IL-6 and IL-1β cytokine secretion from simple in vitro submerged models as a screening tool to assess the likelihood of lung inflammation at an early stage in product development, hence allowing a more targeted investigation using either a smaller, more targeted in vivo study or in the future a more complex in vitro protocol. This paper also highlights the strengths and limitations as well as the current difficulties in performing IVIVE assessment and suggestions for overcoming these issues. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12989-023-00516-y.