A comparative study on the hemolytic action of short asbestos fibers on human, rat, and sheep erythrocytes

Our plain-English summary of A comparative study on the hemolytic action of short asbestos fibers on human, rat, and sheep erythrocytes, by J.P. Pelé, R. Calvert (Environmental Research, 1983).

The study

• Authors: J.P. Pelé, R. Calvert
• Journal: Environmental Research
• Published: 1983;31(1):164-75
• Cited by: 16 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The hemolytic activity of short asbestos fibers isolated by a sedimentation procedure was studied using human (HRBC), rat (RRBC), and sheep (SRBC) red blood cells. The initial velocity (Vi) of hemolysis is proportional to the concentration of fibers with HRBC and RRBC, but not with SRBC. Initial velocity (Vi) is 14.30 for HRBC, 5.75 for RRBC, and 3.60 for SRBC at a concentration of 1,000 micrograms of fibers/ml. Maximum velocity (Vm) is reached at 400 micrograms/ml with HRBC and its value is 16.7. With RRBC and SRBC, Vm is reached at 600 micrograms/ml and its value is 10 and 3.6, respectively. The 50% hemolytic concentration (HC50) at 60 min of incubation is 75 micrograms/ml for HRBC, 240 micrograms/ml for RRBC, and 260 micrograms/ml for SRBC. It appears that the sensitivity against the short asbestos fibers of the three types of RBC used is in the following order: HRBC greater than RRBC greater than SRBC.

In plain English

This was a laboratory (test-tube) experiment. The authors mixed red blood cells from healthy human donors, sheep and rats with short chrysotile asbestos fibers. The fibers had been separated from Quebec 4T30 chrysotile by a sedimentation procedure. The authors tested concentrations from 100 to 1000 micrograms per milliliter and measured how fast and how much the cells burst (hemolysis) over 60 minutes. At 1000 micrograms per milliliter, the initial rate of hemolysis was 14.30 percent per minute for human cells, 5.75 for rat cells and 3.60 for sheep cells. The fiber concentration that burst half the cells at 60 minutes was 75 micrograms per milliliter for human cells, 240 for rat cells and 260 for sheep cells. At the highest concentration, hemolysis at 60 minutes was not very different among the three. The authors concluded that human red blood cells were the most vulnerable to these fibers, but that all three cell types are acceptable for such hemolysis studies. They said the differences between species were difficult to explain.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: In vitro laboratory experiment (hemolysis assay) comparing red blood cells from three species
• Who was studied: Red blood cells (not people) from healthy human donors, from sheep, and from Long Island rats weighing 250 to 300 g; work done at the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The number of donors and animals is not stated.
• Exposure: Short chrysotile fibers isolated by sedimentation from Quebec 4T30 chrysotile. More than 90% were shorter than 2.0 micrometers and the maximum length was 8 micrometers. Final concentrations were 100, 200, 400, 600 or 1000 micrograms per milliliter, incubated at 37 degrees C for up to 60 minutes.
• Main results:
  • The initial rate of hemolysis rose in proportion to fiber concentration with human and rat red blood cells, but not with sheep red blood cells.
  • At 1000 micrograms of fibers per milliliter, the initial rate of hemolysis (percentage of hemolysis per minute) was 14.30 for human, 5.75 for rat and 3.60 for sheep blood.
  • At concentrations between 0 and 400 micrograms per milliliter, the initial rate of hemolysis was comparable for rat and sheep red blood cells.
  • The maximum rate of hemolysis was reached at 400 micrograms per milliliter for human cells (value 16.7). For rat and sheep cells it was reached at 600 micrograms per milliliter (values 10 and 3.6).
  • The fiber concentration causing 50% hemolysis at 60 minutes was 75 micrograms per milliliter for human, 240 for rat and 260 for sheep red blood cells.
  • At 1000 micrograms of asbestos per milliliter, the percentages of hemolysis at 60 minutes were not very different for the three types of blood.
  • With sheep red blood cells, hemolysis was not completed between 30 and 60 minutes, even at the highest fiber concentrations.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that human red blood cells were the most vulnerable to these fibers. Despite the differences, they judged all three blood types acceptable for hemolysis studies, and said well-characterized fibers and the method of preparing the fiber suspension are of the utmost importance.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the differences between the three blood types are difficult to explain, and that it would be imprudent to say which red blood cell property matters most.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Chrysotile.

Related studies

• The hemolytic activity of chrysotile asbestos fibers: a freeze-fracture study — J.P. Pelé, J. Dunnigan, et al. (1983)
• Hemolysis by chrysotile asbestos fibers. I. Influence of the sialic acid content in human, rat, and sheep red blood cell membranes — J.P. Pelé, R. Calvert (1983)
• Interrelationship between hemolysis and lipid peroxidation of human erythrocytes induced by silicic acid and silicate dusts — S.V. Singh, Q. Rahman (1987)
• Wollastonite fibers in vitro generate reactive oxygen species able to lyse erythrocytes and activate the complement alternate pathway — M. Governa, L. Camilucci, et al. (1998)
• Polymers as selective antagonists of hemolytic asbestos fibers — R.J. Schnitzer, G. Bunescu (1970)
• Inhibition by phospholipids of haemolytic action of asbestos — M.C. Jaurand, L. Magne, et al. (1979)

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