title: Editor's Highlight: Abrasion of Artificial Stones as a New Cause of an Ancient Disease. Physicochemical Features and Cellular Responses.
abstract: New outbursts of silicosis were recently reported among workers manufacturing an engineered material known as "artificial stone," composed by high percentages of quartz (up to 98%) agglomerated with pigments and polymeric resins. Dusts released by abrasion during artificial stone polishing were characterized for particle size, morphology, and elemental composition and studied for (1) ability to catalyze free radical generation in acellular tests, (2) membranolytic potential on human erythrocytes, (3) cytotoxic activity (lactate dehydrogenase release) on murine alveolar macrophages (MH-S) and human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cell lines, (4) induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in BEAS-2B cells. Min-U-Sil 5 was used as reference quartz. Artificial stone dusts exhibited morphological features close to quartz, but contained larger amount of metal transition ions (mainly, Fe, Cu, and Ti), potentially responsible for the high reactivity in free radical generation observed. Opposite to Min-U-Sil 5, they were neither hemolytic nor cytotoxic on MH-S cells, a low cytotoxicity only being observed with BEAS-2B cells. The presence on the particle surface of residues of the resin accounts for this attenuated behavior, as hemolysis appeared and cytotoxicity increased after thermal degradation of the resin, when the free quartz surface was exposed. All dusts induced EMT with loss of E-cadherin expression and increased the expression of mesenchymal proteins (α-smooth muscle actin and vimentin). This may contribute to explain the development of fibrosis on workers exposed to artificial stone dusts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavan
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin 10126, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polimeni
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy m.tomatis@unito.it.
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomatis
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Corazzari
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turci
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Turin 10126, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ghigo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy "G. Scansetti" Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates, University of Torino, Turin 10125, Italy.
authors.forename: Bice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fubini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004391:Dust; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012829:Silicosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004391:Dust
keywords: artificial stone; cytotoxicity; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; free radical; membranolysis; quartz