title: Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce eosinophilic airway inflammation in mice.
abstract: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been widely used in industry. The metal composition of PM2.5 might contribute to the higher prevalence of asthma. To investigate the effects of ZnO NPs on allergic airway inflammation, mice were first exposed to different concentrations of ZnO NPs (0.1 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg) or to a combination of ZnO NPs and chicken egg ovalbumin (OVA) by oropharyngeal aspiration on day 0 and day 7 and then were sacrificed 5 days later. The subsequent time course of airway inflammation in the mice after ZnO NPs exposure was evaluated on days 1, 7, and 14. To further determine the role of zinc ions, ZnCl2 was also administered. The inflammatory cell count, cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung histopathology were examined. We found significant neutrophilia after exposure to high-dose ZnO NPs on day 1 and significant eosinophilia in the BALF at 7 days. However, the expression levels of the T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 increased significantly after 24h of exposure to only ZnO NPs and then decreased gradually. These results suggested that ZnO NPs could cause eosinophilic airway inflammation in the absence of allergens.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Liang
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hau-Inh
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huang-Shen
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Immunology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Bor-Luen
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: tcheng@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Tsun-Jen
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D002645:Chickens; D002712:Chlorides / Q000737:chemistry; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000737:chemistry; D010063:Ovum; D052638:Particulate Matter; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000166:cytology; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D052638:Particulate Matter; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C016837:zinc chloride; D010047:Ovalbumin; D015034:Zinc Oxide
keywords: Asthma; Eosinophilic airway inflammation; Zinc oxide nanoparticles