Nanoparticle (NP) uptake by type I alveolar epithelial cells and their oxidant stress response

Abstract

Mammalian cells take up nanoparticles (NPs) and some NPs increase ROS. We used imaging and measure ROS in parallel to evaluate NP-cell interactions with type I-like alveolar epithelial cells exposed to NPs at 1.2 µg/cm². Titanium dioxide (Ti0₂), gold (Au), silver (Ag), and manganese (Mn) were internalized by R3-1 cells; copper (Cu) NPs were observed at the cell surface only. TiO₂ and Au did not increase cell death but Mn and Cu did, with surviving cells recovering after initial Cu exposure. Ag NPs caused 80% of R3-1 cells to lift off the slides within 1 h. Amplex Red was used to report H₂O₂ production after exposure to 0.4 µg/cm² TiO₂, Au, Cu, Mn and Ag. TiO₂, Au, and Ag caused no significant increase in H₂O₂ while Cu and Mn increased H₂O₂. NPs that give up electrons, increase ROS production and cause cell death in R3-1 cells.

Keywords::

• Nanoparticles
• exposure

Acknowledgements

Special thanks for the R3-1 cells provided by Dr Erik Rushton in the Finkelstein lab, URMC. We wish to thank Ms Gayle Schneider and Mr Ian Spinelli for technical support in the URMC Electron Microscope Research Core. We also wish to thank Mr Bob Gelein and Mrs Pamela Mercer at URMC for technical support, information about and preparation of all NPs. Parts of this work were carried out at the Minnesota Characterization Facility that receives support from the NSF through the NNIN program. The work was supported by funding from DoD MURI FA9550-04-1-0430 (G.O), NIH RO1 ES10041 and DoD MHRP W81 XWH-05-1-0239 (T.E.G.), NIH RO1 CA134218 (A.E.), and with partial support through NIEHS Center Grant P30ES01247.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.