Alumina nanoparticles induce expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules.
Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing industry that has elicited much concern because of the lack of available toxicity data. Exposure to ultrafine particles may be a risk for the development of vascular diseases due to dysfunction of the vascular endothelium. Increased endothelial adhesiveness is a critical first step in the development of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The hypothesis that alumina nanoparticles increase inflammatory markers of the endothelium, measured by the induction of adhesion molecules as well as the adhesion of monocytes to the endothelial monolayer, was tested. Following characterization of alumina nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and particle size distribution analysis, endothelial cells were exposed to alumina at various concentrations and times. Both porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells showed increased mRNA and protein expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and ELAM-1. Furthermore, human endothelial cells treated with alumina particles showed increased adhesion of activated monocytes. The alumina particles tended to agglomerate at physiological pH in serum-containing media, which led to a range of particle sizes from nano to micron size during treatment conditions. These data show that alumina nanoparticles can elicit a proinflammatory response and thus present a cardiovascular disease risk.
Oesterling
Elizabeth
E
Graduate Center for Toxicology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Chopra
Nitin
N
Gavalas
Vasileios
V
Arzuaga
Xabier
X
Lim
Eun Jin
EJ
Sultana
Rukhsana
R
Butterfield
D Allan
DA
Bachas
Leonidas
L
Hennig
Bernhard
B
D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D019040:E-Selectin; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D000537:Aluminum Oxide