Description du projet
Un modèle 3D de peau in vitro pour tester les produits chimiques cosmétiques
Les substances perfluoroalkyles et polyfluoroalkyles (PFAS) sont des produits chimiques créés par l’homme et que l’on retrouve à hautes concentrations dans de nombreux produits, comme les cosmétiques. Les scientifiques du projet FluoroCosm, financé par l’UE, souhaitent déterminer la toxicité de ces composés suite à un contact avec la peau humaine. Pour ce faire, ils emploieront des techniques de culture innovantes de tissus humains en 3D pour étudier l’absorption et le métabolisme cutanés des PFAS. Cette approche employant un équivalent de la peau présente le potentiel de servir de modèle avancé pour étudier l’implication de la peau dans la pharmacocinétique des PFAS. Plus important encore, elle permettra de conduire une évaluation précise des risques de ces produits chimiques et fournira des informations concernant leurs effets sur la santé humaine.
Objectif
FluoroCosm is a multidisciplinary project that combines advanced environmental analytical chemistry with innovative 3D human tissue culture techniques to study the dermal absorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from Cosmetic products. Recent studies detected PFAS compounds in various cosmetic products on the European market at high levels (up to 470 μg/g). The main hypothesis that FluoroCosm tests is that PFAS can be metabolized and absorbed through human skin, suggesting frequent contact with PFAS-containing cosmetics can lead to significant body burdens and thus adverse health effects.
While dermal contact with consumer products has been highlighted as a major pathway of human exposure to brominated flame retardants and was correlated with their levels in serum, no information are currently available on the dermal metabolism/absorption of PFAS, which hinders accurate risk assessment of these chemicals. Therefore, FluoroCosm aims to fill this major research gap by assessing human dermal metabolism/absorption of various PFAS present in Cosmetics, through real-life exposure scenarios.
This will be achieved using innovative in vitro 3D human skin equivalent cultures as alternatives to animal/human tissues. The results will be applied to develop an advanced pharmacokinetic model to evaluate the contribution of the dermal pathway to PFAS human body burdens and the potential toxic implications for such exposure.
Our vision is that improved understanding of various aspects of human dermal exposure to PFAS will provide for more accurate risk assessment studies. This will benefit public health and regulators by providing the necessary knowledge base to inform policies on correct measurements to limit human exposure to PFAS. FluoroCosm will also benefit scientists by delivering sustainable effective approaches to assessing human dermal exposure to current-use hazardous chemicals.
Champ scientifique
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Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
B15 2TT Birmingham
Royaume-Uni