title: Pulmonary responses of acute exposure to ultrafine iron particles in healthy adult rats.
abstract: As critical constituents of ambient particulate matter, transition metals such as iron may play an important role in health outcomes associated with air pollution. The purpose of this study was to determine the respiratory effects of inhaled ultrafine iron particles in rats. Sprague Dawley rats 10-12 weeks of age were exposed by inhalation to iron particles (57 and 90 microg/m(3), respectively) or filtered air (FA) for 6 h/day for 3 days. The median diameter of particles generated was 72 nm. Exposure to iron particles at a concentration of 90 microg/m(3) resulted in a significant decrease in total antioxidant power along with a significant induction in ferritin expression, GST activity, and IL-1beta levels in lungs compared with lungs of the FA control or of animals exposed to iron particles at 57 microg/m(3). NFkappaB-DNA binding activity was elevated 1.3-fold compared with that of control animals following exposure to 90 microg/m(3) of iron, but this change was not statistically significant. We concluded that inhalation of iron particles leads to oxidative stress associated with a proinflammatory response in a dose-dependent manner. The activation of NFkappaB may be involved in iron-induced respiratory responses, but further studies are merited.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health and the Environment, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Ya-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Cai-Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Kent E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Pinkerton
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000737:chemistry; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005293:Ferritins / Q000737:chemistry; D005978:Glutathione / Q000737:chemistry; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D010316:Particle Size; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000975:Antioxidants; D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005978:Glutathione