Copper smelters are the sources of emission of complex aerosols containing, inter alia, selenium-containing nanoparticles (NPs). It is very difficult to adequately estimate the hazard posed by such particles since available data on them are scarce and have been obtained in comparatively few experimental studies with rather contradicting results. The aim of our study was to determine toxic health effects of selenium-containing nanoparticles more precisely with a focus on liver as a target organ. Liver toxicity following exposure to suspended selenium oxide nanoparticles was investigated in a sub-chronic experiment on outbred male albino rats. The suspension was prepared by laser ablation of 99%-pure selenium plates. We examined ultrastructural changes by electron microscopy, did cytological and histological analyses of the liver, biochemical blood testing and metabolomic blood screening. We observed lesions in the liver and inhibited secretory functions at various levels, from molecular to organismic, in the exposed animals. The microscopic examination showed that the number of normal and normal-vesicular mitochondria in liver cells went down by 7.78 %, p < 0.05; the metabolomic screening established lower levels of glycocholic acid in blood serum, р < 0.001; levels of alanine aminotransferase in blood serum grew by 30 %, p < 0.05; the number of acaryotic hepatocytes demonstrated a 3.1-fold increase, p < 0.05, according to the results of histological assessment of liver specimens. The touch smears of the liver examined showed a 2.2-fold increase in the number of degenerated hepatocytes (p < 0.05). These experimental data can be used to estimate a potential hazard of selenium-containing nanoparticles within social-hygienic monitoring and biomedical predictions of health damage caused by exposure to such NPs. Altered levels of lysophos-phatidylinositol can be a marker of exposure to the examined NPs and necessitate the search for early diagnostic predictors of associated health disorders.
Copper smelters are the sources of emission of complex aerosols containing, inter alia, selenium-containing nanoparticles (NPs). It is very difficult to adequately estimate the hazard posed by such particles since available data on them are scarce and have been obtained in comparatively few experimental studies with rather contradicting results. The aim of our study was to determine toxic health effects of selenium-containing nanoparticles more precisely with a focus on liver as a target organ. Liver toxicity following exposure to suspended selenium oxide nanoparticles was investigated in a sub-chronic experiment on outbred male albino rats. The suspension was prepared by laser ablation of 99%-pure selenium plates. We examined ultrastructural changes by electron microscopy, did cytological and histological analyses of the liver, biochemical blood testing and metabolomic blood screening. We observed lesions in the liver and inhibited secretory functions at various levels, from molecular to organismic, in the exposed animals. The microscopic examination showed that the number of normal and normal-vesicular mitochondria in liver cells went down by 7.78 %, p < 0.05; the metabolomic screening established lower levels of glycocholic acid in blood serum, р < 0.001; levels of alanine aminotransferase in blood serum grew by 30 %, p < 0.05; the number of acaryotic hepatocytes demonstrated a 3.1-fold increase, p < 0.05, according to the results of histological assessment of liver specimens. The touch smears of the liver examined showed a 2.2-fold increase in the number of degenerated hepatocytes (p < 0.05). These experimental data can be used to estimate a potential hazard of selenium-containing nanoparticles within social-hygienic monitoring and biomedical predictions of health damage caused by exposure to such NPs. Altered levels of lysophos-phatidylinositol can be a marker of exposure to the examined NPs and necessitate the search for early diagnostic predictors of associated health disorders.
Introduction: High-volume manufacturing of selenium and a widespread use of its compounds pose potential risks to human health. Certain copper production processes emit selenium-containing nanoparticles. Objective: To assess health effects of selenium oxide nanoparticles as an industrial and environmental toxicant. Materials and methods: Selenium oxide nanoparticles (SeO NPs) were obtained by laser ablation. Their toxicity was studied both in vitro on human lung-derived embryonic fibroblasts (FLEH-104 cell line) by assaying adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence and the rate of oxygen consumption, and in vivo on outbred albino rats by analyzing ultrastructural changes in tissues using electron microscopy, measuring succinate dehydrogenase activity of blood lymphocytes, and conducting a blood-based metabolomic test. Results: The in vitro experiment showed a decrease in ATP bioluminescence by 75.9 % and in the oxygen consumption rate of cells by 79.8 % in the incubation medium with 100 μg/mL concentration of SeO NPs. In the in vivo experiment, succinate dehydrogenase activity of blood lymphocytes decreased inversely with the increasing dose by 10.12 %, 14.0 %, 15.9 % compared to the control animals in the SeO NPs 0.1, SeO NPs 0.5, and SeO NPs 1 exposure groups, respectively. The study of ultrastructural changes in liver tissue showed a smaller number of normal mitochondria (7.78 % less in the SeO NP 1 group) compared to the controls while the metabolomic test revealed decreased acylcarnitines and increased lysophosphatidylinositols following the exposure to SeO NPs (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of our in vitro and in vivo studies showed adverse effects of SeO NPs on bioenergetics processes in cells involving at least two mechanisms: disruption of mitochondrial β-oxidation of fatty acid and inactivation of succinate dehydrogenase. The fundamental role of the latter in the mitochondrial electron transport chain makes its vitally important for most multicellular organisms. Our findings can serve as a rationale for assessing selenium-containing nanoparticles as a chemical hazard and searching for approaches to managing their health risks.
Introduction. Control of distribution of aerosol particle by size in the workplace area is one of the important problems of hygiene. To assess health effect of aerosol particles in workers, it is necessary to improve existing and introduce new methods for analyzing the dispersion and chemical composition of aerosols, including their nanosized constituents. Materials and methods. Generated lead oxide nanoparticles with an average diameter of 26.2±12.6 nm were sampled on 47-mm nylon membrane disc filters with a pore size of 0.2 µm and 1.2 µm. The experimental device represented a cascade system consisting of two membrane filters, where the first filter was intended for capturing nanoparticles while the second one was used for establishing the capture efficiency of the first. The sampling time for the cascade systems was 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, and 80 minutes for filters with a pore size of 0.2 µm and 5, 10, 20, and 120 minutes for those with a 1.2 µm pore size; in all cases, the volumetric flow rate was 1.5 L/min. The membrane surface was then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Results. Lead oxide nanoparticles were found on all filters tested. They were evenly distributed over the entire effective filter area, their number increasing with air sampling duration. No nanoparticles were observed on the second level filters, regardless of the sampling period. Limitations. The results cannot be extrapolated to all types of nanoparticles since the capacity of polyamide/nylon filters was studied only with respect to lead oxide nanoparticles. Conclusion. The study proved that polyamide/nylon filters with the pore sizes of 0.2 µm and 1.2 µm have a high potential for nanoparticle capture and can be considered as a tool for developing new techniques of studying and controlling harmful factors.
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