Stability of mineral fibres in contact with human cell cultures. An in situ μXANES, μXRD and XRF iron mapping study.
Relevant mineral fibres of social and economic importance (chrysotile UICC, crocidolite UICC and a fibrous erionite from Jersey, Nevada, USA) were put in contact with cultured diploid human non-tumorigenic bronchial epithelial (Beas2B) and pleural transformed mesothelial (MeT5A) cells to test their cytotoxicity. Slides of each sample at different contact times up to 96 h were studied in situ using synchrotron XRF, μ-XRD and μ-XAS (I18 beamline, Diamond Light Source, UK) and TEM investigations. XRF maps of samples treated for 96 h evidenced that iron is still present within the chrysotile and crocidolite fibres and retained at the surface of the erionite fibres, indicating its null to minor mobilization in contact with cell media; this picture was confirmed by the results of XANES pre-edge analyses. μ-XRD and TEM data indicate greater morphological and crystallinity modifications occurring in chrysotile, whereas crocidolite and erionite show to be resistant in the biological environment. The contact of chrysotile with the cell cultures seems to lead to earlier amorphization, interpreted as the first dissolution step of these fibres. The formation of such silica-rich fibre skeleton may prompt the production of HO in synergy with surface iron species and could indicate that chrysotile may be much more reactive and cytotoxic in vitro in the (very) short term whereas the activity of crocidolite and erionite would be much more sluggish but persistent in the long term.
Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, I-41125, Modena, Italy. Electronic address: simone.pollastri@unimore.it.
Simone
S
Pollastri
Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, I-41125, Modena, Italy.
Alessandro F
AF
Gualtieri
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, 10125, Italy.
Ruggero
R
Vigliaturo
Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK.
Konstantin
K
Ignatyev
Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Histology, Marche Polytechnic University, Piazza Roma 22, 60121, Ancona, Italy.
Elisabetta
E
Strafella
Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Histology, Marche Polytechnic University, Piazza Roma 22, 60121, Ancona, Italy.
Armanda
A
Pugnaloni
Department of Science and Technology Innovation, The University of Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Viale Teresa Michel 11, I-15121, Alessandria, Italy.
Alessandro
A
Croce
D000818:Animals; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000139:chemically induced; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D019016:Mineral Fibers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects; D017641:Zeolites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity
D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine; D019016:Mineral Fibers; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite; C083174:erionite; D017641:Zeolites; D007501:Iron
Cell cultures; Dissolution; Mineral fibres; μXANES; μXRD