Chrysotile and rock wool fibers induce chromosome aberrations and DNA damage in V79 lung fibroblast cells

Our plain-English summary of Chrysotile and rock wool fibers induce chromosome aberrations and DNA damage in V79 lung fibroblast cells, by Y. Cui, J. Ma, W. Ye, et al (Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 2018).

The study

• Authors: Y. Cui, J. Ma, W. Ye, Z. Han, F. Dong, J. Deng, Q. Zhang
• Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
• Published: 2018;25(23):22328-22333
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

According to global estimates, at least 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure. Chrysotile accounts for approximately 90% of asbestos used worldwide. Artificial substitutes can also be cytotoxic to the same degree as chrysotile. But only a few researchers focused on their genetic effects and mutagenicity information which is useful in evaluating the carcinogenicity of chemicals. In this study, chrysotile from Mangnai, Qinghai, China, and an artificial substitute, rock wool fiber were prepared as suspensions and were tested at concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml in V79 lung fibroblasts. Chromosome aberrations were detected by micronucleus assay after exposure for 24 h, and DNA damage were estimated by single cell gel electrophoresis after exposure for 12, 24, or 48 h. According to the results, chrysotile and rock wool fibers caused micronuclei to form in a dose-dependent manner in V79 cells; olive tail moment values increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. When V79 cells were exposed to a concentration of 200 μg/ml, the degree of DNA damage induced by chrysotile fibers was greater than rock wool fibers. Our study suggests that both chrysotile and rock wool fibers could induce chromosome aberrations and DNA damage. These materials are worthy of further study.

In plain English

This was a laboratory study of cells grown in dishes, not a study of people. The authors exposed V79 lung fibroblast cells from Chinese hamsters to chrysotile asbestos from Mangnai, Qinghai, China, and to rock wool fiber, a man-made substitute, at 50, 100 or 200 micrograms per millilitre. Chromosome damage was measured with the micronucleus test after 24 hours. DNA breakage was measured with the comet assay after 12, 24 or 48 hours. For both fibers, micronuclei at 50 micrograms per millilitre did not differ statistically from untreated cells, but rose significantly at 100 and 200. DNA damage after 24 hours rose significantly at all three doses, and at 200 micrograms per millilitre it grew with longer exposure. The authors reported that chrysotile caused more DNA damage than rock wool. They concluded that both fibers cause chromosome aberrations and DNA damage in these cells and that further study of their safety is warranted. They noted that testing chrysotile alone may not reflect the cause of mesotheliomas.

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: Laboratory (in vitro) cell-culture experiment comparing the genetic damage caused by two fiber types
• Who was studied: V79 Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells (a laboratory cell line, not human subjects), obtained from the Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, China
• Exposure: Ground chrysotile fiber from Mangnai, Qinghai, China, and rock wool fiber, suspended in culture medium at 50, 100 or 200 μg/ml. Exposure was for 24 h in the micronucleus test and for 12, 24 or 48 h in the comet assay.
• Main results:
  • Micronucleus test, both fibers, 24 h: there was no statistical difference from untreated cells at 50 μg/ml. Micronuclei increased significantly at 100 and 200 μg/ml.
  • Comet assay, both fibers, 24 h: DNA damage (olive tail moment) increased significantly at all three concentrations.
  • Comet assay, both fibers at 200 μg/ml: DNA damage increased with exposure time over 12, 24 and 48 h.
  • In the comet assay, the authors reported that chrysotile had a greater effect on DNA than rock wool.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, in V79 cells, chrysotile and rock wool fibers cause chromosome aberrations and DNA damage, with chrysotile having the greater effect on DNA. They concluded that further investigation of the safety of chrysotile and other fibers is warranted.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that other asbestos types are found alongside chrysotile in mesotheliomas, so testing chrysotile alone may not reflect the cause of mesotheliomas.
  • The authors stated that the study did not determine how the fibers' structure and surface properties relate to their genetic toxicity.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Chrysotile, Fibroblast, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Occupational Exposure, Micronuclei.

Related studies

• Letter to the Editor on "Chrysotile and rock wool fibers induce chromosome aberrations and DNA damage in V79 lung fibroblast cells" — J.G. Hadley, A.E. Crane (2019)
• A study of the effect of chrysotile fiber surface composition on genotoxicity in vitro — M.J. Keane, J.W. Stephens, et al. (1999)
• Metsovo-tremolite asbestos fibres: in vitro effects on mutation, chromosome aberration, cell transformation and intercellular communication — K. Athanasiou, S.H. Constantopoulos, et al. (1992)
• Comparative cytotoxicity study of rock wool and chrysotile by cell magnetometric evaluation — Y. Kudo, M. Watanabe, et al. (2003)
• Cytotoxicity and multinucleate giant cell formation in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast caused by crocidolite and chrysotile — Y.C. Hong, S.S. Choi (1997)
• Long-term instillation to four natural representative chrysotile of China induce the inactivation of P53 and P16 and the activation of C-JUN and C-FOS in the lung tissues of Wistar rats — Y. Luo, J. Deng, et al. (2020)

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