Toxicity and clearance of intratracheally administered multiwalled carbon nanotubes from murine lung.
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are known to have widespread industrial applications; however, several reports indicated that these compounds may be associated with adverse effects in humans. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were administered to murine lungs intratracheally to determine whether acute and chronic pulmonary toxicity occurred. In particular, pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PMWCNT) and acid-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (TMWCNT) were used in this study. In broncheoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell analysis, PMWCNT induced more severe acute inflammatory cell recruitment than TMWCNT. Histopathologically, both PMWCNT and TMWCNT induced multifocal inflammatory granulomas in a dose-dependent manner. The observed granulomas were reversible, with TMWCNT-induced granulomas diminishing faster than PMWCNT-induced granulomas. Although the area of granuloma reduced with time, hyperplasia and dysplastic characteristics such as mitotic figures, anisokaryosis, and anisocytosis were still observed. These findings demonstrate that MWCNT induces granulomatous inflammation, and the duration and pattern of inflammation seem to vary depending upon the types of MWCNT to which mice are exposed. Therefore, toxicity studies on various types of CNT are needed as the responsiveness to these compounds differs.
Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Ji-Eun
JE
Kim
Hwang-Tae
HT
Lim
Arash
A
Minai-Tehrani
Jung-Taek
JT
Kwon
Ji-Young
JY
Shin
Chang-Gyu
CG
Woo
Mansoo
M
Choi
Jongho
J
Baek
Dae Hong
DH
Jeong
Yoon-Cheol
YC
Ha
Chan-Hee
CH
Chae
Kyung-Suk
KS
Song
Kang-Ho
KH
Ahn
Ji-Hyun
JH
Lee
Ha-Jung
HJ
Sung
Il-Je
IJ
Yu
George R
GR
Beck
Myung-Haing
MH
Cho
D000208:Acute Disease; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon