Toxicity assessment of metal oxide nanomaterials using screening and murine acute inhalation studies.

Characterizations and toxicity screening were performed on metal oxide engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) independently comprising ZnO, CuO, CeO, FeO, WO, VO, TiO, AlO and MgO. Nanomaterials that exhibited the highest toxicity responses in the screening assays (ZnO, CuO, and VO) and the lesser explored material WO were tested for acute pulmonary toxicity . Female and male mice (C57Bl/6J) were exposed to aerosolized metal oxide ENMs in a nose-only exposure system and toxicity outcomes (biomarkers of cytotoxicity, immunotoxicity, inflammation, and lung histopathology) at 4 and 24 h after the start of exposure were assessed.

Acute pulmonary toxicity assessment of occupationally relevant particulate matter from a cellulose nanofiber board.

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are an emerging engineered nanomaterial that are utilized in a variety of applications, including as a replacement for urea-formaldehyde, and other adhesives, as the binding agent in manufactured fiber and particle boards. To ensure the health and well-being of those producing, installing, or otherwise using cellulose nanofiber boards (CNFBs) it is imperative that the particulate matter (PM) produced during CNFB manipulation be evaluated for toxicity. We developed and internally verified a generation system to examine the PM produced by sanding CNFB using aluminum oxide sandpaper.

Comparison of toxicity of aerosolized engineered nanomaterials using air-liquid interface mono-culture and co-culture models.

Airborne engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can readily enter the human body through inhalation potentially leading to adverse health effects such as cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Our group has previously utilized and validated an integrated low flow system capable of generating and depositing airborne ENMs directly onto cells at an air-liquid interface (ALI). To further improve this ALI method for an even closer representation of the system, a co-culture model containing epithelial, endothelial and macrophage cell lines (A549, EA.

Integrin α6β4 identifies human distal lung epithelial progenitor cells with potential as a cell-based therapy for cystic fibrosis lung disease.

To develop stem/progenitor cell-based therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, it is first necessary to identify markers of human lung epithelial progenitor/stem cells and to better understand the potential for differentiation into distinct lineages. Here we investigated integrin α6β4 as an epithelial progenitor cell marker in the human distal lung. We identified a subpopulation of α6β4(+) cells that localized in distal small airways and alveolar walls and were devoid of pro-surfactant protein C expression.