Differences in cytotoxic, genotoxic, and inflammatory response of bronchial and alveolar human lung epithelial cells to pristine and COOH-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes.
Cinzia Lucia Ursini, Delia Cavallo, Anna Maria Fresegna, Aureliano Ciervo, Raffaele Maiello, Giuliana Buresti, Stefano Casciardi, Stefano Bellucci, Sergio Iavicoli
Author Information
Cinzia Lucia Ursini: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Delia Cavallo: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Anna Maria Fresegna: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy.
Aureliano Ciervo: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy.
Raffaele Maiello: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Giuliana Buresti: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy.
Stefano Casciardi: Department of Occupational Hygiene, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Stefano Bellucci: INFN, National Laboratory of Frascati, Via Enrico Fermi 40, 00044 Frascati, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Sergio Iavicoli: Department of Occupational Medicine, INAIL (Italian Workers' Compensation Authority) Research Area, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Province of Rome, Italy. ORCID
Functionalized MWCNTs are used in many commercial and biomedical applications, but their potential health effects are not well defined. We investigated and compared cytotoxic, genotoxic/oxidative, and inflammatory effects of pristine and carboxyl MWCNTs exposing human respiratory (A549 and BEAS-2B) cells to 1-40 μg/mL of CNTs for 24 h. Both MWCNTs induced low viability reduction (by WST1 assay) in A549 cells and only MWCNTs-COOH caused high viability reduction in BEAS-2B cells reaching 28.5% viability at 40 μg/mL. Both CNTs induced membrane damage (by LDH assay) with higher effects in BEAS-2B cells at the highest concentrations reaching 20% cytotoxicity at 40 μg/mL. DNA damage (by Fpg-comet assay) was induced by pristine MWCNTs in A549 cells and by both MWCNTs in BEAS-2B cells reaching for MWCNTs-COOH a tail moment of 22.2 at 40 μg/mL versus 10.2 of unexposed cells. Increases of IL-6 and IL-8 release (by ELISA) were detected in A549 cells exposed to MWCNTs-COOH from 10 μg/mL while IL-8 increased in BEAS-2B cells exposed to pristine MWCNTs at 20 and 40 μg/mL. The results show higher cytogenotoxicity of MWCNTs-COOH in bronchial and of pristine MWCNTs in alveolar cells. Different inflammatory response was also found. The findings suggest the use of in vitro models with different end points and cells to study CNTtoxicity.
