title: High-temperature calcined fullerene nanowhiskers as well as long needle-like multi-wall carbon nanotubes have abilities to induce NLRP3-mediated IL-1β secretion.
abstract: Because multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have asbestos-like shape and size, concerns about their pathogenicity have been raised. Contaminated metals of MWCNTs may also be responsible for their toxicity. In this study, we employed high-temperature calcined fullerene nanowhiskers (HTCFNWs), which are needle-like nanofibers composed of amorphous carbon having similar sizes to MWCNTs but neither metal impurities nor tubular structures, and investigated their ability to induce production a major proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β via the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-containing flammasome-mediated mechanism. When exposed to THP-1 macrophages, long-HTCFNW exhibited robust IL-1β production as long and needle-like MWCNTs did, but short-HTCFNW caused very small effect. IL-1β release induced by long-HTCFNW as well as by long, needle-like MWCNTs was abolished by a caspase-1 inhibitor or siRNA-knockdown of NLRP3, indicating that NLRP3-inflammasome-mediated IL-1β production by these carbon nanofibers. Our findings indicate that the needle-like shape and length, but neither metal impurities nor tubular structures of MWCNTs were critical to robust NLRP3 activation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Weijia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuhira
authors.affiliation: Fullerene Engineering Group, Materials Processing Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Kun'ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sai
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Mikihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshimitsu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeno
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nakae
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Metabolism, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Risk Assessment, and Biological Safety Research Center, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan. Electronic address: mogami@nihs.go.jp.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimaki-Mogami
mesh_terms: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D037741:Fullerenes; D058847:Inflammasomes; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D000071199:NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; C453881:NLRP3 protein, human; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C460579:benzyloxycarbonyltyrosyl-valyl-alanyl-aspartic acid fluoromethyl ketone; D020170:Caspase 1
keywords: Carbon nanotubes; Fullerene nanowhiskers; IL-1β; NLRP3