1. Exposure of single-walled carbon nanotubes impairs the functions of primarily cultured murine peritoneal macrophages.
- Author
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Dong PX, Wan B, Wang ZX, Guo LH, Yang Y, and Zhao L
- Subjects
- Animals, Cell Differentiation drug effects, Cell Proliferation, Cells, Cultured, Cytokines analysis, Cytokines metabolism, Female, Gene Expression drug effects, Intracellular Space chemistry, Intracellular Space drug effects, Intracellular Space metabolism, Lysosomes drug effects, Lysosomes metabolism, Macrophages, Peritoneal cytology, Macrophages, Peritoneal metabolism, Mice, Microscopy, Electron, Transmission, Phagocytosis drug effects, T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer cytology, T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer drug effects, Cell Survival drug effects, Macrophages, Peritoneal drug effects, Nanotubes, Carbon toxicity
- Abstract
It is increasingly important to understand the single-walled carbon nanotubes' (SWCNTs) immune response as their increasingly biomedical researches and applications. Macrophages and T cells play important roles in scavenging foreign materials and pathogens and regulating immune response. In this work, primarily cultured murine peritoneal macrophages and purified splenic T cells were utilised to determine the toxic effects of SWCNTs and acid-functionalised SWCNTs (AF-SWCNTs) on the immune system, especially on macrophage functions. Macrophages were exposed to 0-50 μg/ml of CNTs for 24 h and no significant cytotoxicity was found by live/dead and annexin-V-FITC/PI analyses. The TEM images revealed that AF-SWCNTs were engulfed mostly through phagocytosis and located in lysosomes of macrophages. Measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential and proteasome subunit gene expression demonstrated that 10 and 50 μg/ml AF-SWCNTs could damage mitochondrial function and proteasome formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Functional analyses revealed that the percentage of phagocytic cells were affected significantly by 20 μg/ml CNTs, and 5 μg/ml AF-SWCNTs inhibited the phagocytic efficiency of latex beads in macrophages. The accessory cell function was affected by both AF-SWCNTs and SWCNTs at concentrations of 10 and 50 μg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, AF-SWCNT biased naïve T-cell differentiation to Th1 type by inducing the production of IFN-γ and TNF, implying the potential risk of Th1-associated diseases (e.g. autoimmune diseases and inflammation) on AF-SWCNT exposure.
- Published
- 2013
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