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Mesenchymal Stem Cell Regulation of Macrophage Phagocytosis; Quantitation and Imaging
Published on: July 16, 2021
Evidence of size-dependent effect of silica micro- and nano-particles on basal and specialized monocyte functions
Mauricio C De Marzi1,2, Martín Saraceno1, Romina Mitarotonda1
1Laboratorio de Inmunología, Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES) CONICET-UNLu, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Ruta 5 y Avenida Constitución (6700) Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Aim:
To analyze the effect of silica particles on monocyte/macrophage functions.
Materials & Methods:
Silica micro- and nanoparticles were obtained by the Stöber method. Their effect on monocyte/macrophage proliferation, activation, membrane integrity and metabolic activity were determined.
Results:
Silica particles inhibit cell proliferation while 10 nm nanoparticles (NPs) did not affect it. Similarly, silica particles induced strong cell activation. However, 10 nm NPs do not alter IL-12 or nitrite levels. Furthermore, bigger NPs and microparticles increase cell membrane damage and reduce the number of living cells but smallest NPs (10 and 240 nm) did not.
Conclusion:
Cell activation properties of silica particles could be useful tools for immune stimulation therapy, while 10 nm NPs would be suitable for molecule transportation.
