title: Fate of cellulose nanocrystal aerosols deposited on the lung cell surface in vitro.
abstract: When considering the inhalation of high-aspect ratio nanoparticles (HARN), the characterization of their specific interaction with lung cells is of fundamental importance to help categorize their potential hazard. The aim of the present study was to assess the interaction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with a multicellular in vitro model of the epithelial airway barrier following realistic aerosol exposure. Rhodamine-labeled CNCs isolated from cotton (c-CNCs, 237 ± 118 × 29 ± 13 nm) and tunicate (t-CNCs, 2244 ± 1687 × 30 ± 8 nm) were found to display different uptake behaviors due to their length, although also dependent upon the applied concentration, when visualized by laser scanning microscopy. Interestingly, the longer t-CNCs were found to exhibit a lower clearance by the lung cell model compared to the shorter c-CNCs. This difference can be attributed to stronger fiber-fiber interactions between the t-CNCs. In conclusion, nanofiber length and concentration has a significant influence on their interaction with lung cells in vitro.
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Carola
authors: C
authors: Endes
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Silvana
authors: S
authors: Mueller
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Calum
authors: C
authors: Kinnear
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Dimitri
authors: D
authors: Vanhecke
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.|‡Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, 445 Old Turner Street, 213 Holden Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States.
authors: E Johan
authors: EJ
authors: Foster
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.|§Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musee 9, Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Alke
authors: A
authors: Petri-Fink
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Weder
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Martin J D
authors: MJ
authors: Clift
authors: †Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Rothen-Rutishauser
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D002460:Cell Line; D002482:Cellulose / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D002482:Cellulose