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Title: Alumina nanoparticles induce expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules.

Authors: Oesterling, Elizabeth; Chopra, Nitin; Gavalas, Vasileios; Arzuaga, Xabier; Lim, Eun Jin; Sultana, Rukhsana; Butterfield, D Allan; Bachas, Leonidas; Hennig, Bernhard

Published In Toxicol Lett, (2008 May 30)

Abstract: Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing industry that has elicited much concern because of the lack of available toxicity data. Exposure to ultrafine particles may be a risk for the development of vascular diseases due to dysfunction of the vascular endothelium. Increased endothelial adhesiveness is a critical first step in the development of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The hypothesis that alumina nanoparticles increase inflammatory markers of the endothelium, measured by the induction of adhesion molecules as well as the adhesion of monocytes to the endothelial monolayer, was tested. Following characterization of alumina nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and particle size distribution analysis, endothelial cells were exposed to alumina at various concentrations and times. Both porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells showed increased mRNA and protein expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and ELAM-1. Furthermore, human endothelial cells treated with alumina particles showed increased adhesion of activated monocytes. The alumina particles tended to agglomerate at physiological pH in serum-containing media, which led to a range of particle sizes from nano to micron size during treatment conditions. These data show that alumina nanoparticles can elicit a proinflammatory response and thus present a cardiovascular disease risk.

PubMed ID: 18456438 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Aluminum Oxide/toxicity*; Animals; Cell Adhesion Molecules/genetics; Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism*; Cell Adhesion/drug effects*; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; E-Selectin/genetics; E-Selectin/metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular/drug effects*; Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular/ultrastructure; Gene Expression/drug effects; Humans; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/genetics; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism; Metal Nanoparticles/toxicity*; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission/methods; Monocytes/drug effects; Monocytes/metabolism; Monocytes/ultrastructure; Particle Size; RNA, Messenger/metabolism; Swine; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/genetics; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism

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