Focused X-Ray Histological Analyses to Reveal Asbestos Fibers and Bodies in Lungs and Pleura of Asbestos-Exposed Subjects

Abstract

Asbestos bodies are the histological hallmarks of asbestos exposure. Both conventional and advanced techniques are used to evaluate abundance and composition in histological samples. We previously reported the possibility of using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) for analyzing the chemical composition of asbestos bodies directly in lung tissue samples. Here we applied a high-performance synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF) set-up that could allow new protocols for fast monitoring of the occurrence of asbestos bodies in large histological sections, improving investigation of the related chemical changes. A combination of synchrotron X-ray transmission and fluorescence microscopy techniques at different energies at three distinct synchrotrons was used to characterize asbestos in paraffinated lung tissues. The fast chemical imaging of the XFM beamline (Australian Synchrotron) demonstrates that asbestos bodies can be rapidly and efficiently identified as co-localization of high calcium and iron, the most abundant elements of these formations inside tissues (Fe up to 10% w/w; Ca up to 1%). By following iron presence, we were also able to hint at small asbestos fibers in pleural spaces. XRF at lower energy and at higher spatial resolution was afterwards performed to better define small fibers. These analyses may predispose for future protocols to be set with laboratory instruments.

Soft X-ray Microscopy Techniques for Medical and Biological Imaging at TwinMic—Elettra

“…Another successful key point of TwinMic, which has not been stressed in the current paper, is that its setup modularity and flexibility (i.e., motors stages and sample holders) allow it to be easily complemented with other synchrotron techniques, such as FTIR spectromicroscopy [42], XRF at higher energies [37,38], and microtomography [34], often by analyzing the very same specimens.…”

“…TwinMic capabilities have attracted the interest of scientists from different research fields, from the material sciences [18], especially from the energy field [19][20][21][22], to environmental sciences [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31], the life sciences [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], and cultural heritage [47].…”

Recent advances in analysis of trace elements in environmental samples by X-ray based techniques (IUPAC Technical Report)

“…Examples of studies in tissue and organ sections are: X-ray analysis to reveal asbestos fibres in human lungs [130], imaging the penetration and distribution of zinc and zinc species after topical application of zinc pyrithione to human skin [131], elemental homeostasis and the mechanisms of murine cerebral malaria to understand the altered cerebral metabolism, and protein oxidation at haemorrhage sites [132].…”

Nano-imaging of environmental dust in human lung tissue by soft and hard X-ray fluorescence microscopy

“…It is problematic to assess the pathogenicity of poorly soluble materials in the form of dust particles and fibres, since their effects are determined not only by the chemical composition but also by their physical properties and biopersistance. Additionally, inside the tissues dust particles and fibres may undergo complex metabolic transformations and their surface may be modified by removal and deposition of chemical elements, metals, and salts, or by adsorption of macromolecules such as proteins [6,16].…”