Profiling transcriptomes of human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells exposed to maleic acid.

The exposure to maleic acid is found to decrease the cellular calcium and thiol levels in human neuronal cells at both transcriptional and functional levels. This study reported the first transcriptomic profiling of human neuronal cells treated with maleic acid. It is also the first experimental validation of chemical effects predicted by in silico toxicogenomics approaches. The proposed approach may be useful in understanding the potential effects of other poorly characterized chemicals on human health.