Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
An Air-liquid Interface Bronchial Epithelial Model for Realistic, Repeated Inhalation Exposure to Airborne Particles for Toxicity Testing
Published on: May 13, 2020
[Comparative study on the acute toxicity of pulmonary caused by nanosized and microsized powders of silicon dioxide]
Objective:
To compare the acute pulmonary toxicities of nanosized and microsized silicon dioxide particles.
Methods:
All 125 healthy male Wistar rats were divided into 25 groups randomly according to the weight. Experimental animals were exposed to microsized SiO2 at the doses of 100 mg/m3 (group A) and 300 mg/m3 (group B), and to the nanosized SiO2 at the same dose levels (group A' and B') by inhalation for 2 hours. Compositions in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) and contents of hydroxyproline in blood sera and lung tissues were detected and then compared at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours after administration.
Results:
The total cellular score (TCS) in BALF of group A'[(55.00 +/- 8.30) x 10(4)/ ml] and B'[(52.50 +/- 9.02) x 10(4)/ml] at 6 hours were significantly higher than those in control groups [(34.88 +/- 12.53) x 10(4)/ml]; TCS in BALF of group A' [(55.00 +/- 8.30) x 10(4)/ml]at 6 hours and group A' [(39.75 +/- 12.08) x 10(4)/ml] at 24 hours were significantly higher than those in isodose group of microsized SiO2 [(32.38 +/- 13.07) x 10(4)/ml, (24.13 +/- 10.97) x 10(4)/ml) ]; total protein (TPr) in BALF of group A' [(0.34 +/- 0.09)g/L] and B' [(0.38 +/- 0.16) g/L] at 48 hours were significantly higher than those in isodose group of microsized SiO2 [(0.20 +/- 0.07) g/L, (0.21 +/- 0.05) g/L]. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in BALF of group A' [(1.66 +/- 0.22) x 10(3) U/L] at 72 hours were significantly higher than those in isodose group of microsized SiO2 [(1.38 +/- 0.17) x 10(3) U/L]. Alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in BALF of group B' [(5.14 +/- 1.47) U/100 ml] at 6 hours and group B' [(5.86 +/- 2.41) U/100 ml] at 24 hours were significantly higher than those in isodose group of microsized SiO2 [(3.64 +/- 0.36) U/100 ml, (3.30 +/- 2.19) U/100 ml]. Hydroxyproline (HyP) in tissues of lung of group A' [(0.532 +/- 0.053) microg/mg, (0.484 +/- 0.046) microg/mg, (0.591 +/- 0.096) microg/mg, (0.551 +/- 0.084) microg/mg] at 6, 12, 48, 72 hours and group B' [(0.508 +/- 0.081) microg/mg, (0.565 +/- 0.053) microg/mg ] at 12, 72 hours were significantly higher than those in isodose group of microsized SiO2 [(0.345 +/- 0.074) microg/mg, (0.368 +/- 0.095) microg/mg, (0.431 +/- 0.036) microg/mg, (0.399 +/- 0.080) microg/mg, (0.396 +/- 0.039) microg/mg, (0.465 +/- 0.062) microg/mg].
Conclusion:
Nanosized and microsized SiO2 should have some differences on acute pulmonary toxicities in our experiment condition.
