Abstract
The advanced ceramic technology has been pointed out as a potentially relevant case of occupational exposure to nanoparticles (NP). Not only when nanoscale powders are being used for production, but also in the high-temperature processing of ceramic materials there is also a high potential for NP release into the workplace environment. In vitro toxicity of engineered NP (ENP) [antimony tin oxide (Sb2O3•SnO2; ATO); zirconium oxide (ZrO2)], as well as process-generated NP (PGNP), and fine particles (PGFP), was assessed in MucilAir™ cultures at air-liquid interface (ALI). Cultures were exposed during three consecutive days to varying doses of the aerosolized NP. General cytotoxicity [lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, WST-1 metabolization], (oxidative) DNA damage, and the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-8 and MCP-1) were assessed. Data revealed that ENP (5.56 µg ATO/cm2 and 10.98 µg ZrO2/cm2) only caused mild cytotoxicity at early timepoints (24 h), whereas cells seemed to recover quickly since no significant changes in cytotoxicity were observed at late timepoints (72 h). No meaningful effects of the ENP were observed regarding DNA damage and cytokine levels. PGFP affected cell viability at dose levels as low as ∼9 µg/cm2, which was not seen for PGNP. However, exposure to PGNP (∼4.5 µg/cm2) caused an increase in oxidative DNA damage. These results indicated that PGFP and PGNP exhibit higher toxicity potential than ENP in mass per area unit. However, the presence of a mucociliary apparatus, as it occurs in vivo as a defense mechanism, seems to considerably attenuate the observed toxic effects. Our findings highlight the potential hazard associated with exposure to incidental NP in industrial settings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 542-557 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Nanotoxicology |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The current work was carried out in the framework of the CERASAFE project (www.cerasafe.eu), with the support of ERA-NET SIINN (project id:16) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT; SIINN/0004/2014). This work was also supported by the NanoBioBarriers project (PTDC/MED?TOX/31162/2017), co-financed by the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) through European Regional Development Funds (FEDER/FNR) and FCT; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects PCIN-2015-173-C02-01 and CEX2018-000794-S-Severo Ochoa) and by the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation (CCCDI-UEFISCDI, project number 29/2016 within PNCDI III). Thanks are also due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to EPIUnit (UIDB/04750/2020). M.J. Bessa (SFRH/BD/120646/2016) and F. Brand?o (SFRH/BD/101060/2014) are recipients of FCT PhD scholarships under the framework of Human Capital Operating Program (POCH) and European Union funding. The authors would like to take this opportunity to thank all institutions involved for their support to this project. The authors kindly acknowledge TM COMAS (http://www.tmcomas.com) and Keeling & Walker (https://www.keelingwalker.co.uk) for their committed cooperation. Finally, the authors would also like to acknowledge Dr. J?ergen Schnekenburger (University of M?enster, Germany) for gamma-ray sterilization of the NP stock suspensions.
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© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords
- Ceramic technology
- MucilAir™
- engineered nanoparticles
- process-generated nanoparticles
- thermal spraying