Effects of fibrous and non-fibrous dusts on Chinese hamster V79 cells: Cytotoxicity or cytostasis?

Our plain-English summary of Effects of fibrous and non-fibrous dusts on Chinese hamster V79 cells: Cytotoxicity or cytostasis?, by S.O. Lock, J. Rockley, M. Chamberlain, et al (Toxicology in Vitro, 1987).

The study

• Authors: S.O. Lock, J. Rockley, M. Chamberlain, J.V. Friend
• Journal: Toxicology in Vitro
• Published: 1987;1(2):71-6
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Chinese hamster V79 (CHV79) cells cultured in vitro were used to study the cytopathic effects of seven mineral dusts (four of which were fibrous). Lactate dehydrogenase release and the incorporation of [(3)H]thymidine into DNA were used to study toxic and static interactions, respectively. Crystalline silica dusts had a toxic effect on the cells. In contrast, Canadian chrysotile (chrysotile 'B') was relatively non-toxic but principally had a static effect upon CHV79 cells. Amphibole asbestos dusts demonstrated mainly static properties, albeit less marked than with chrysotile, and some toxic properties. Titanium dioxide was neither toxic nor static in vitro.

Copyright © 1987. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

In plain English

This was a laboratory study. The authors exposed cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells for 17 hours to seven dusts at up to 1000 micrograms per millilitre. Four were asbestos (amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite and chrysotile 'B'), two were crystalline silica (quartz DQ12 and Min-U-Sil), and one was titanium dioxide. They measured leakage of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from cells, used as a sign of toxicity, and uptake of thymidine into DNA, used as a measure of cell replication. At high doses crystalline silica released 50 to 70% of cellular LDH. Asbestos dusts released only 15 to 30%, and titanium dioxide at most 14%. At high doses amosite, crocidolite and chrysotile 'B' cut thymidine uptake to 21 to 28% of control levels. Anthophyllite cut it to 43% and titanium dioxide to 45%, while silica left it at 86 to 91%. Asbestos dusts made cells detach; silica did not. The authors concluded that silica appears to kill cells, whereas asbestos effects are more subtle, possibly involving structures used in cell replication.

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 (cell culture) experiment comparing the effects of mineral dusts on cultured cells
• Who was studied: Chinese hamster V79 cells grown as monolayer cultures. Each culture was seeded with 2 x 10^5 (200,000) cells, printed as '2 x 105' in the scanned text, in Leighton tubes. Treatments were assayed in triplicate cultures.
• Exposure: Seven respirable-size dusts. Four were asbestos from the UICC standard reference series: amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite and chrysotile 'B'. Two were crystalline silica: quartz DQ12 and Min-U-Sil. The seventh was titanium dioxide. Exposure lasted 17 hours, at concentrations up to 1000 micrograms per ml.
• Main results:
  • Crystalline silica dusts at high concentrations caused 50 to 70% of the cells' total LDH to be released. LDH release was detected at 125 micrograms per ml and above.
  • Asbestos dusts caused only slight LDH release, 15 to 30%, even at the highest doses tested.
  • Titanium dioxide was non-toxic, with a maximum LDH release of 14%.
  • All asbestos dusts caused cell detachment, with detached cells accounting for 12 to 30% of LDH activity. This was most marked with chrysotile and anthophyllite. Crystalline silica did not increase cell detachment above the control value.
  • Asbestos dusts other than crocidolite restricted the growth in total LDH (a marker of cell number) by as much as 68 to 84%. Crocidolite produced a 39% restriction.
  • At high doses, amosite, crocidolite and chrysotile 'B' reduced total thymidine incorporation into DNA to 21 to 28% of control levels.
  • Anthophyllite was the least active asbestos dust, reducing thymidine incorporation to 43% of control levels.
  • Titanium dioxide at high doses reduced thymidine incorporation to 45% of control levels.
  • Crystalline silica dusts left thymidine incorporation at 86 to 91% of control levels.
  • With higher doses of asbestos dusts, detached cells held 38 to 73% of total thymidine incorporation.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that crystalline silica appears to cause cell death, possibly through a direct effect on cell membranes once a threshold is reached. They described the effects of asbestos minerals as more subtle, possibly reflecting effects on structures involved in cell replication. They described chrysotile 'B' as showing little toxicity but producing effects that would eventually result in cytostasis (halted cell growth).

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Crystalline, Chrysotile, Amphibole Asbestos.

Related studies

• Effect of mineral dusts on metabolic cooperation between Chinese hamster V79 cells in vitro — M. Chamberlain (1983)
• Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes in cultured Chinese hamster lung cells in comparison with chrysotile A fibers — M. Asakura, T. Sasaki, et al. (2010)
• Cytotoxicity of refractory ceramic fibres to Chinese hamster ovary cells in culture — G.A. Hart, M.M. Newman, et al. (1992)
• Cytotoxicity and multinucleate giant cell formation in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast caused by crocidolite and chrysotile — Y.C. Hong, S.S. Choi (1997)
• In vitro cytotoxicity and transforming potential of industrial carbon dust (fibers and particles) in syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells — C. Darne, F. Terzetti, et al. (2010)
• Induction of chromosome changes in Chinese hamster cells by exposure to asbestos fibres — A. Sincock, M. Seabright (1975)

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