Comparison of effects on macrophage cultures of glass fibre, glass powder, and chrysotile asbestos

Abstract

. (1972). Brit. J. industr. Med., 29,[280][281][282][283][284][285][286] Comparison of effects on macrophage cultures of glass fibre, glass powder, and chrysotile asbestos. The effects on macrophage cultures of glass fibre, glass powder, and chrysotile asbestos are compared. Glass fibre behaves like chrysotile in producing an increase in cell membrane permeability in cultured macrophages. This is demonstrable by the increase in lactic dehydrogenase activity in the supernatant fluid. The metabolism, measured by lactate production, is not reduced as it is when quartz is phagocytosed. Glass powder behaves like the inert dust corundum, producing little change in the number of cells stained by erythrosin B and a small increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity, both being in the range of the control. There is an increase in lactate production as a result of higher metabolism due to phagocytosis. Dusts may produce two basic effects, namely a toxic effect and change in cell membrane permeability. A non-specific effect on the cell membrane due to the slow and sometimes incomplete process of ingestion of long fibres is probably a function of the morphology, particularly the length of the fibres. A primary specific effect induced by some dusts immediately follows contact with the cell membrane.Recent investigations have shown that asbestos fibres alter the permeability of the membrane of cells cultured in vitro. Koshi, Hayashi, and Sakabe (1968) demonstrated an increase in the acid phosphatase released from the cells into the culture medium when rat peritoneal macrophages were incubated with asbestos. Beck (1970) and Beck, Holt, and Nasrallah (1971) found that chrysotile asbestos added to cultures of alveolar or peritoneal macrophages increased the number of cells stained with erythrosin and increased the amount of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) released into the culture medium.To determine whether the shape, the length or the chemical composition of the fibres is the factor influencing the permeability of the cell membrane, cultures of inacrophages were incubated with two types of fibrous material, chrysotile and glass fibre. In each case the permeability of the cell membrane was determined by estimating the percentage of cells that stained with erythrosin B and the LDH activity in the supernatant. The vitality of the cells was measured by the rate of lactate production. Controls were run with no addition of dust, with quartz powder (toxic), and with corundum powder (inert). Materials Chrysotile A high-grade Rhodesian chrysotile was opened in the mill of a dust tunnel (Holt, Mills, and Young, 1964).Glass fibre A dust was prepared in the same way from commercially available glass fibre. The sample ranged in length from I to 20 ptm and in diameter from 0-25 to 1 0 ,um. 280

Effect of asbestos on lipid peroxidation in the red cells.

“…Koshi, Hayashi, and Sakabe (1968), by measuring acid phosphatase and production of lactic acid in macrophages, showed the different toxic effects of asbestos samples of different origin. Beck, Holt, and Manojlovic (1972) did not observe a depression of the lactic acid in chrysotiletreated macrophages but there was an increased number of cells with erythrosin and higher activity of the cytoplasmic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. However, Parazzi, Pernis, Secchi, and Vigliani (1968) found a depression in the production of enzymes in crocidolite and chrysotile incubated macrophage cultures.…”

Comparison of effects of glass fibre and glass powder on guinea-pig lungs

“…Unlike quartz powder it does not have a any guinea-pig treated with powdered glass. toxic effect and it does not cause the leakage of large quantities of lactic dehydrogenase from the Comment cell (Beck et al, 1972). The toxicity of quartz appears to be due to the chemical composition or nature of Glass powder affects macrophage cultures in a the surface of the dust.…”

Role of alveolar macrophage lysosomes in metal detoxification

“…In vitro, crystalline particles can be modified in the lysosomes of cultured macrophages, e.g., for certain silicates, (talc; Handerson, 1975), (chrysotile and glass fibre; Beck, 1972), or for certain oxides (cobaltic oxide; André and Métevier, 1987), (uranium oxides;Poncy, 1992). Some authors have demonstrated that chrysolite fibres (Jaurand, 1977) as well as some industrial uranium oxides (Hengé-Napoli, 1994) can be dissolved in vivo.…”