Relative effects of asbestos and wollastonite on alveolar macrophages

Our plain-English summary of Relative effects of asbestos and wollastonite on alveolar macrophages, by W.H. Pailes, D.J. Judy, H. Resnick, et al (Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 1984).

The study

• Authors: W.H. Pailes, D.J. Judy, H. Resnick, V. Castranova
• Journal: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health
• Published: 1984;14(4):497-510
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Rabbit alveolar macrophages were exposed in culture to chrysotile asbestos, wollastonite, or latex, and the effects on various biochemical and physiological parameters related to cellular viability and fibrogenicity were determined. Exposure of alveolar macrophages to asbestos, wollastonite, or latex for 3 d has no effect on oxygen consumption or cellular volume. However, treatment of alveolar macrophages with as little as 25 micrograms asbestos/ml for 1 d increases lysosomal enzyme release and decreases membrane integrity, i.e., decreases trypan blue exclusion and increases leakage of cytosolic enzymes. In contrast, exposure of alveolar macrophages to wollastonite or latex at 250 micrograms/ml does not induce lysosomal enzyme release or alter membrane integrity even after 3 d of exposure in culture. These data suggest that chrysotile asbestos damages rabbit alveolar macrophages, while wollastonite, a potential substitute for asbestos, is far less cytotoxic.

In plain English

This laboratory experiment exposed alveolar macrophages (scavenger cells washed out of the lungs of male New Zealand white rabbits) in culture to chrysotile asbestos, to wollastonite (a fibrous mineral suggested as an asbestos substitute), or to polystyrene latex beads. Chrysotile was tested at 25, 50 and 100 micrograms per milliliter. Cells were examined after 17, 41 and 65 hours and compared with unexposed control cultures. None of the particles significantly changed the cells' oxygen consumption or cell volume, and none greatly affected the number of cells. Chrysotile, even at 25 micrograms per milliliter for 17 hours, made cell membranes leakier and increased the release of lysosomal enzymes. The authors reported that this damage did not kill the cells. Latex and wollastonite at up to 250 micrograms per milliliter for 65 hours did not alter membrane integrity or lysosomal enzyme release. The authors concluded that chrysotile damages rabbit alveolar macrophages while wollastonite is far less cytotoxic, and that wollastonite may not be a potent stimulator of fibrosis. The study measured cell responses in culture, not disease in animals or people.

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) laboratory experiment comparing particle-exposed cultures with unexposed control cultures
• Who was studied: Alveolar macrophages obtained by lung lavage from male white New Zealand rabbits, with cells from 2-4 rabbits pooled for each preparation; five replicates of each exposure
• Exposure: Chrysotile asbestos at 25, 50 and 100 micrograms/ml (74% shorter than 8 micrometers), wollastonite at listed doses of 50 to 500 micrograms/ml (98% shorter than 8 micrometers), and polystyrene latex beads at 50, 150 and 250 micrograms/ml, for 17, 41 and 65 hours
• Main results:
  • No particle (latex, wollastonite or chrysotile) caused a significant change in oxygen consumption of the macrophages
  • No particle had a significant effect on the cell volume of the macrophages
  • Control cultures lost 30% of their cells over 65 hours; latex, wollastonite or asbestos did not greatly affect cell number
  • Chrysotile asbestos at as little as 25 micrograms/ml for 17 hours increased membrane leakiness (reduced trypan blue dye exclusion, more leakage of the enzyme lactic acid dehydrogenase) and increased lysosomal enzyme secretion
  • The authors reported that asbestos made the macrophage membranes leaky but did not kill the cells
  • Latex and wollastonite at up to 250 micrograms/ml for 65 hours did not alter cellular metabolism, membrane integrity or lysosomal enzyme release
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that chrysotile asbestos damages rabbit alveolar macrophages, while wollastonite is far less cytotoxic. They suggested that their assay could be used to predict lung damage and that wollastonite may not be a potent stimulator of fibrosis.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Wollastonite, Alveolar Macrophage, Chrysotile, Damages.

Related studies

• Biological reactivity of calcium silicate composites--in vitro studies — J. Hunt, F.D. Pooley, et al. (1981)
• Wollastonite exposure and lung fibrosis — M.S. Huuskonen, A. Tossavainen, et al. (1983)
• Pulmonary macrophages are attracted to inhaled particles through complement activation — D.B. Warheit, L.H. Overby, et al. (1988)
• Genotoxicity of dimethylnitrosamine in the presence of chrysotile asbestos UICC B and xonotlite — F. Denizeau, M. Marion, et al. (1985)
• Cytotoxicity of respirable dusts from industrial minerals: comparison of two naturally occurring and two man-made silicates — D. Nadeau, L. Fouquette-Couture, et al. (1987)
• Mortality among a cohort of US man-made mineral fiber workers: 1985 follow-up — G.M. Marsh, P.E. Enterline, et al. (1990)

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