Skip Navigation


ToxSci Advance Access originally published online on July 28, 2007
Toxicological Sciences 2007 100(1):203-214; doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfm196
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
100/1/203    most recent
kfm196v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mitchell, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by McDonald, J. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mitchell, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by McDonald, J. D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response to Inhaled Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Leah A. Mitchell*,{dagger}, Jun Gao*, Randy Vander Wal{ddagger}, Andrew Gigliotti{dagger}, Scott W. Burchiel* and Jacob D. McDonald{dagger},1

* College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131–0001 {dagger} Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108 {ddagger} The National Center for Microgravity Research, c/o The NASA-Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44135

1 To whom correspondence should be addressed at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, 2425 Ridgecrest Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Fax: (505) 348-4980. E-mail: jmcdonal{at}lrri.org.

Received May 27, 2007; accepted July 18, 2007


  Abstract

Inhalation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at particle concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 5 mg/m3 did not result in significant lung inflammation or tissue damage, but caused systemic immune function alterations. C57BL/6 adult (10- to 12-week) male mice were exposed by whole-body inhalation to control air or 0.3, 1, or 5 mg/m3 respirable aggregates of MWCNTs for 7 or 14 days (6 h/day). Histopathology of lungs from exposed animals showed alveolar macrophages containing black particles; however, there was no inflammation or tissue damage observed. Bronchial alveolar lavage fluid also demonstrated particle-laden macrophages; however, white blood cell counts were not increased compared to controls. MWCNT exposures to 0.3 mg/m3 and higher particle concentrations caused nonmonotonic systemic immunosuppression after 14 days but not after 7 days. Immunosuppression was characterized by reduced T-cell–dependent antibody response to sheep erythrocytes as well as T-cell proliferative ability in presence of mitogen, Concanavalin A. Assessment of nonspecific natural killer (NK) cell activity showed that animals exposed to 1 mg/m3 had decreased NK cell function. Gene expression analysis of selected cytokines and an indicator of oxidative stress were assessed in lung tissue and spleen. No changes in gene expression were observed in lung; however, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and NAD(P)H oxidoreductase 1 mRNA levels were increased in spleen.

Key Words: carbon nanotubes; inhalation; pulmonary pathology; immunosuppression.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
J. McDonald and L. Mitchell
To the Editor
Toxicol. Sci., January 1, 2008; 101(1): 181 - 182.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.