Lipid peroxidation in rat alveolar macrophages exposed to chrysotile fibres.
Lipid peroxidation induced in rat alveolar macrophages incubated with chrysotile asbestos fibres was assessed by measuring the production of malondialdehyde. The rapid onset of lipid peroxidation in macrophages caused by these fibres suggests the process occurs during the attachment of the fibres on the macrophage membranes or during the very early steps of phagocytosis. Metal-ion chelators such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, 1,10-phenantroline and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, as well as iron-complexing agents such as bathophenantrolinesulphonate and desferrioxamine were found to substantially inhibit chrysotile-induced lipid peroxidation. These results suggest a possible role for the iron present in the asbestos structure in catalysing lipid peroxidation in alveolar macrophages. These observations also indicate that asbestos-catalysed lipid peroxidation may be one of the factors involved in asbestos-induced cell damage.
Kandaswami
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Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5N4 Canada.
Morin
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Sirois
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