Toxicity of a Low Level of Indium Phosphide (InP) in Rats after Intratracheal Instillation.

Abstract

To clarify the instillation toxicity of low level of indium phosphide (InP), 0, 1.2, 6.0 and 62.0 pg/kg body weight of InP particles were instilled intratracheally in male Fischer 344 rats, and the effects of InP were examined on the following day (day 1) and on the 8th day (day 8) after instillation. Indium was measured but not detected in the serum, liver, kidney, spleen, thymus and brain. Dose-related mild elevation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were found on day 1 without increases of inflammatory cells and total protein (TP) in BALF, which suggested the response of neutrophils and alveolar macrophages to instilled InP, and/or the manifestation of a very early stage of inflammation. Only in the 62.0 pg/kg-instilled group on day 8, were neutrophils, lymphocytes, TP, LDH, total phospholipid and total cholesterol in BALF increased, and desquamation of alveolar epithelial cells and amorphous exudate in alveolar lumen observed by histopathological examination. These results suggested that InP caused pulmonary inflammation and epithelial cell damage up to 8 days following instillation dose of 62.0 pg/kg, but that its effect was considered irrelevant at instillation doses of 6.0 pg/kg or below in rat.

Biological Monitoring of Indium by Means of Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry in Workers Exposed to Particles of Indium Compounds

“…From the mid-1990s, animal experiments have shown that the inhalation or intratracheal instillation of In compounds causes severe lung inflammation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and mild adverse reproductive effects [8][9][10] . Although the health effects of In on workers' respiratory and reproductive systems have been unclear to date, assessing the exposure-effect relationships in Inexposed workers is a serious concern, but no information is available on the exposure-effect relationships in workers.…”

Chronic Pulmonary Toxicity Study of Indium‐Tin Oxide and Indium Oxide Following Intratracheal Instillations into the Lungs of Hamsters

“…Due to the increasing production of ITO, the potential health hazards of occupational or environmental exposure to this material have began to cause great concern. Since the mid 1990's, data have become available indicating that indium compounds can be toxic to animals [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] , although there is little information regarding the adverse health effects for workers exposed to indium compounds. In 2003, the first case of interstitial pneumonia caused by occupational exposure to ITO was reported 13) .…”

Peptides for functionalization of InP semiconductors

“…It presents also a direct bandgap, making it useful for optoelectronics, biomedical devices and for fluorescence applications as QDs. Unfortunately, a high toxicity of the InP has been reported [14,15], thus rendering the InP surfaces biocompatible is a crucial issue.…”