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Title: Influence of particle size on persistence and clearance of aerosolized silver nanoparticles in the rat lung.

Authors: Anderson, Donald S; Patchin, Esther S; Silva, Rona M; Uyeminami, Dale L; Sharmah, Arjun; Guo, Ting; Das, Gautom K; Brown, Jared M; Shannahan, Jonathan; Gordon, Terry; Chen, Lung Chi; Pinkerton, Kent E; Van Winkle, Laura S

Published In Toxicol Sci, (2015 Apr)

Abstract: The growing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products raises concerns about potential health effects. This study investigated the persistence and clearance of 2 different size AgNPs (20 and 110 nm) delivered to rats by single nose-only aerosol exposures (6 h) of 7.2 and 5.4 mg/m(3), respectively. Rat lung tissue was assessed for silver accumulations using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), autometallography, and enhanced dark field microscopy. Involvement of tissue macrophages was assessed by scoring of silver staining in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Silver was abundant in most macrophages at 1 day post-exposure. The group exposed to 20 nm AgNP had the greatest number of silver positive BALF macrophages at 56 days post-exposure. While there was a significant decrease in the amount of silver in lung tissue at 56 days post-exposure compared with 1 day following exposure, at least 33% of the initial delivered dose was still present for both AgNPs. Regardless of particle size, silver was predominantly localized within the terminal bronchial/alveolar duct junction region of the lung associated with extracellular matrix and within epithelial cells. Inhalation of both 20 and 110 nm AgNPs resulted in a persistence of silver in the lung at 56 days post-exposure and local deposition as well as accumulation of silver at the terminal bronchiole alveolar duct junction. Further the smaller particles, 20 nm AgNP, produced a greater silver burden in BALF macrophages as well as greater persistence of silver positive macrophages at later timepoints (21 and 56 days).

PubMed ID: 25577195 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Aerosols*; Animals; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Lung/drug effects*; Lung/physiology; Macrophages/ultrastructure; Male; Metal Nanoparticles/toxicity*; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Particle Size*; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Silver/chemistry*

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