The 37-amino-acid polypeptide amylin is the principal constituent of the amyloid deposits that form in the islets of Langerhans in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus, but its role in the pathogenesis of this disease is unresolved. In view of the fact that the beta-amyloid protein that forms fibrils in Alzheimer's disease is toxic to neurons, we have investigated whether amylin fibrils could be toxic to pancreatic islet cells. We show here that human amylin is toxic to insulin-producing beta-cells of the adult pancreas of rats and humans. This toxicity is mediated by the fibrillar form of the amylin peptide and requires direct contact of the fibrils with the cell surface. The mechanism of cell death involves RNA and protein synthesis and is characterized by plasma membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, indicating that amylin induces islet cell apoptosis. These findings indicate that amylin fibril formation in the pancreas may cause islet cell dysfunction and death in type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Surface IR (infrared) modes of crystalline and fumed (amorphous) silica particles, calcined at temperatures up to 1095 degrees C, have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The ability of these same particles to lyse cells has been measured by a hemolysis protocol. The untreated crystalline and amorphous materials differ by a factor of 40 in specific surface area, and the intensity per unit mass of the sharp surface silanol band near 3745 cm-1 in the amorphous material is an order of magnitude larger than in the crystalline material. A similar difference is observed in the lysing potential of the two materials. The intensity of the silanol band increases after calcination for both materials, reaching peak values near 500 degrees C, followed by a dramatic drop at higher calcination temperatures, and reaching negligible values for materials calcined near 1100 degrees C. The lysing potential data follow essentially the same pattern for both crystalline and fumed silica. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the surface silanol groups are involved in cell lysis. Further experiments are suggested to evaluate the relationship between the surface structure of silica particles and their potential cytotoxicity.ImagesFIGURE 2. AFIGURE 2. BFIGURE 2. CFIGURE 2. D

Surface IR (infrared) modes of crystalline and fumed (amorphous) silica particles, calcined at temperatures up to 1095°C, have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The ability of these same particles to lyse cells has been measured by a hemolysis protocol. The untreated crystalline and amorphous materials differ by a factor of 40 in specific surface area, and the intensity per unit mass ofthe sharp surface silanol band near 3745 cm-' in the amorphous material is an order of magnitude larger than in the crystalline material. A similar difference is observed in the lysing potential of the two materials. The intensity of the silanol band increases after calcination for both materials, reaching peak values near 500°C, followed by a dramatic drop at higher calcination temperatures, and reaching negligible values for materials calcined near 1100C. The lysing potential data follow essentially the same pattern for both crystalline and fumed silica. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the surface silanol groups are involved in cell lysis. Further experiments are suggested to evaluate the relationship between the surface structure of silica particles and their potential cytotoxicity.

The formation of reactive oxygen species resulting from the interaction of silica dust particles with red blood cell membranes was investigated; particularly, the effect of surface hydroxyl (silanol) group concentration on the rate of formation of such reactive oxygen species was investigated. The rate of formation was measured indirectly through the effect of catalase, a hemoprotein peroxidase, on silica-induced hemolysis. It was found that the addition of exogenous catalase to erythrocytes markedly reduces the hemolysis caused by silica particles. Furthermore, the amount of catalase required for deactivation of silica per unit area of particle surface is lower for fumed silica particles and calcined crystalline particles than for uncalcined, crystalline silica, suggesting a correlation between the concentration of OH groups at the silica particle surface and its potential for generation of H202. The addition of albumin, a copper chelator, also decreases hemolysis. These results suggest that the hemolysis caused by silica particles is at least partly related to the formation of H202 at the particle surface and its subsequent reaction with Cu+ ions. The relationship between the concentration of surface silanol groups on the silica surface and the amount of catalase required to decrease hemolysis may also provide a method for testing potential fibrogenicity of respirable dusts.