title: Assessment of neurobehavioral and biochemical effects in rats exposed to copper smelter dusts.
abstract: Female Wistar rats were instilled per os by gavage with different copper dust samples: P-25 obtained by passing the test material through a 25 μmsieve, and P-0.1 containing soluble matter and ultra-fine, non-soluble<100 nm particulate matter (PM) fraction. The control group received sterile saline. The effects were studied at day 1, 7, and 30 post-exposure, focusing on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis (including biochemistry, cell morphology, cell viability, and Clara cell 16 protein concentration) and pathomorphology of lung. Results of biochemical tests showed a strong pro-inflammatory effect of both particulate fractions. The morphological studies after exposure to P-25 and P-0.1 fractions showed multi-focal infiltrations in the alveoli. Changes in behavioral (radial maze and passive avoidance tests) have shown that memory in groups exposed to dust was impaired. Our findings indicate that both samples of dust from Copper Smelter cause greater and lesser intensity (P-25 > P-0.1) of the symptoms of acute inflammatory reaction immediately 24 h after instillation to rats. Exposure results in dropping CC16 protein level in serum of rats. After one month, previous acute inflammation was resolved and transformed in persistent low-grade inflammation. The low-grade inflammation resulted in induction of neurobehavioral effects probably by changes in "cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway" in which acetylcholine modulates neurotransmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland. halatek@imp.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halatek
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krajnow
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stetkiewicz
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Domeradzka
authors.forename: Radoslaw
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swiercz
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wasowicz
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced*; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D010316:Particle Size; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D003300:Copper; D014598:Uteroglobin