Effects of beryllium metal particles on the viability and function of cultured rat alveolar macrophages

Abstract

The physicochemical properties of particles influence their in vivo toxicity following deposition in the respiratory tract. To evaluate the relative contributions of mass and surface area to particle‐induced toxicity, rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) were exposed to four types of particles in vitro. We used three beryllium metal samples: relatively large (Be‐ll) and relatively small (Be‐V) sized fractions of beryllium metal obtained from an aerosol cyclone, and a beryllium metal aerosol generated by laser vaporization of bulk beryllium metal in an argon atmosphere (Be‐L). We also used glass beads (CB) as a negative control particle. End points examined included cell viability, determined by trypan blue dye exclusion, and changes in phagocytic ability, measured by counting the number of sheep red blood cells internalized by the PAM. Phagocytic ability was inhibited by exposure to beryllium particles at concentrations that did not cause appreciable cell death. Results describing effects based on the mass concentration of particles in culture medium were transformed by the amount of specific surface area of the particles to permit the expression of toxicity relative to the amount of particle surface per unit volume of culture medium. On a mass basis, the order of particle‐related cytotoxicity was Be‐L > Be‐V > Be‐ll > GB, and for inhibition of phagocytosis, the order was Be‐L ∼ Be‐V > Be‐ll > GB. When analyzed on a specific surface area basis, the cytotoxicity of the different materials became more similar in a fashion that was largely predicted by the amount of surface of the particles administered. However, because differences in specific surface area among the beryllium particle samples did not entirely predict cytotoxicity, we concluded that factors in addition to specific surface area influenced the expression of toxic effects in cultures of PAM exposed to beryllium metal.