A Procedure for the Isolation of Asbestos Bodies from Lung Tissue by Exploiting their Magnetic Properties: A New Approach to Asbestos Body Study

Borelli, Violetta; Brochetta, Cristiana; Melato, Mauro; Rizzardi, Clara; Polentarutti, Maurizio; Busatto, Cristina; Vita, Francesca; Abbate, Rita; Gotter, R.; Zabucchi, Giuliano

doi:10.1080/15287390701380906

Cited by 24 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…19). This finding supports the presence of Fe-storage proteins with high Fe-loading, as was already proposed7172021. On the other hand, the inner part of the AB contains from two to almost three times Fe (~27 to ~39% w/w) compared to the outer part.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

New insights on the biomineralisation process developing in human lungs around inhaled asbestos fibres

Bardelli

Veronesi

Capella

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Once penetrated into the lungs of exposed people, asbestos induces an in vivo biomineralisation process that leads to the formation of a ferruginous coating embedding the fibres. The ensemble of the fibre and the coating is referred to as asbestos body and is believed to be responsible for the high toxicological outcome of asbestos. Lung tissue of two individuals subjected to prolonged occupational exposure to crocidolite asbestos was investigated using synchrotron radiation micro-probe tools. The distribution of K and of elements heavier than Fe (Zn, Cu, As, and Ba) in the asbestos bodies was observed for the first time. Elemental quantification, also reported for the first time, confirmed that the coating is highly enriched in Fe (~20% w/w), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that Fe is in the 3+ oxidation state and that it is present in the form of ferritin or hemosiderin. Comparison of the results obtained studying the asbestos bodies upon removing the biological tissue by chemical digestion and those embedded in histological sections, allowed unambiguously distinguishing the composition of the asbestos bodies, and understanding to what extent the digestion procedure altered their chemical composition. A speculative model is proposed to explain the observed distribution of Fe.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

New insights on the biomineralisation process developing in human lungs around inhaled asbestos fibres

Bardelli

Veronesi

Capella

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“…This means that FB are harmful not only due to the toxic effects of the fibers per se, but also because they represent a cause of oxidative stress in the lungs (Ghio et al, 2004). Recently, Borelli et al (2007) demonstrated that AB isolated magnetically, but not by digestion technique, were cytotoxic and able to activate free radical production from inflammatory cells to a higher extent than that induced by AB obtained by hypoclorite digestion. The AB isolated by digestion technique induced DNA damage, whereas AB obtained by magnetic technique failed to do.…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 97%

Elemental composition of ferruginous bodies and occupational categories: analyses and case studies in Mexico

Villeda-Cuevas

Quintero-Casas²,

Rivera-Rosales

et al. 2012

Inhalation Toxicology

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Inorganic fibers form part of the complex mixture of environmental pollutants in Mexico City and in general locations. Upon entering the lungs, some of those fibers are transformed into ferruginous bodies (FB) that can be used as biological markers of exposure to fibers. Hence, the objectives of this study were, first, to describe the most frequent types of FB found in the lungs, and second, to determine the elemental composition of the cores of some of those FB. A total of 264 lung samples collected from autopsies performed at the National Institutes of Health in Mexico City were analyzed. The FB were obtained by digesting the samples in commercial bleach and all the FB were then collected in 0.45 µm Millipore membranes. All the FB obtained from each case were counted directly under bright field microscopy, and then classified by morphology. Results showed from 14.5 FB/g in Category 1 (housewives), to 50.2 FB/g for samples from Category 5 (construction workers), and 152 FB/g for Category 6 (miners). Significant differences were found upon comparing samples from Categories 5/6 to Category 1 (p < 0.05). Type 1 FB were the most frequent ones seen in the samples from Categories 1 to 5. Elemental analyses of the cores of several FB found aluminosilicates, fiberglass, tremolite and amosite asbestos among others. In conclusion, residents of Mexico show exposures to a variety of fibers that induce FB including asbestos.

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“…The presence of iron in the fibres seems to be also a key factor for the formation of the asbestos bodies via deposition of iron containing proteins (as ferritin). It is believed that the shell that is formed isolates the fibre from the tissue and reduces its damaging effect [11,13]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synchrotron soft X-ray imaging and fluorescence microscopy reveal novel features of asbestos body morphology and composition in human lung tissues

Pascolo¹,

Gianoncelli²,

Kaulich³

et al. 2011

Particle and Fibre Toxicology

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BackgroundOccupational or environmental exposure to asbestos fibres is associated with pleural and parenchymal lung diseases. A histopathologic hallmark of exposure to asbestos is the presence in lung parenchyma of the so-called asbestos bodies. They are the final product of biomineralization processes resulting in deposition of endogenous iron and organic matter (mainly proteins) around the inhaled asbestos fibres. For shedding light on the formation mechanisms of asbestos bodies it is of fundamental importance to characterize at the same length scales not only their structural morphology and chemical composition but also to correlate them to the possible alterations in the local composition of the surrounding tissues. Here we report the first correlative morphological and chemical characterization of untreated paraffinated histological lung tissue samples with asbestos bodies by means of soft X-ray imaging and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) microscopy, which reveals new features in the elemental lateral distribution.ResultsThe X-ray absorption and phase contrast images and the simultaneously monitored XRF maps of tissue samples have revealed the location, distribution and elemental composition of asbestos bodies and associated nanometric structures. The observed specific morphology and differences in the local Si, Fe, O and Mg content provide distinct fingerprints characteristic for the core asbestos fibre and the ferruginous body. The highest Si content is found in the asbestos fibre, while the shell and ferruginous bodies are characterized by strongly increased content of Mg, Fe and O compared to the adjacent tissue. The XRF and SEM-EDX analyses of the extracted asbestos bodies confirmed an enhanced Mg deposition in the organic asbestos coating.ConclusionsThe present report demonstrates the potential of the advanced synchrotron-based X-ray imaging and microspectroscopy techniques for studying the response of the lung tissue to the presence of asbestos fibres. The new results obtained by simultaneous structural and chemical analysis of tissue specimen have provided clear evidence that Mg, in addition to Fe, is also involved in the formation mechanisms of asbestos bodies. This is the first important step to further thorough investigations that will shed light on the physiopathological role of Mg in tissue response to the asbestos toxicity.

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A Procedure for the Isolation of Asbestos Bodies from Lung Tissue by Exploiting their Magnetic Properties: A New Approach to Asbestos Body Study

Cited by 24 publications

References 33 publications

New insights on the biomineralisation process developing in human lungs around inhaled asbestos fibres

New insights on the biomineralisation process developing in human lungs around inhaled asbestos fibres

Elemental composition of ferruginous bodies and occupational categories: analyses and case studies in Mexico

Synchrotron soft X-ray imaging and fluorescence microscopy reveal novel features of asbestos body morphology and composition in human lung tissues

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