Pulmonary responses to oil fly ash particles in the rat differ by virtue of their specific soluble metals

Occupational exposure to residual oil fly ash (ROFA) particulate has been associated with adverse respiratory health effects in humans. We hypothesized that ROFA collected at different sites within an oil burning power plant, by virtue of its differing metal and sulfate composition, will induce differential lung injury. Ten ROFA samples collected at various sites within a power plant were analyzed for water- and 1.0 M HCl-leachable arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), zinc (Zn), and sulfur by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. All ROFA samples contained variable amounts of leachable (water-extractable) and 1.0 M HCl-extractable Fe, V, and/or Ni. All other metals, except Zn (ROFA No. 1 contained 3.43 and No. 3, 6.35 micrograms/mg Zn), were present in negligible quantities (< 1.0 microgram/mg) in the water extract. In vivo pulmonary injury from exposure to whole saline suspensions of these ROFA was evaluated. Male, SD rats (60 days old) were intratracheally instilled with either saline or saline suspension of whole ROFA (< 3.0 mass median aerodynamic diameter) at three concentrations (0.833, 3.33, or 8.33 mg/kg). After 24 h, lungs were lavaged and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for cellular influx and protein content as well as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAG) activity and total hemoglobin as indicators of lung injury. ROFA-induced increases in BALF protein and LDH, but not neutrophilic inflammation, were associated with its water-leachable total metal, Ni, Fe, and sulfate content. However, the neutrophilic response following ROFA exposure was positively correlated with its water-leachable V content. Modest lung injury was observed with the ROFA samples which contained the smallest amounts of water-leachable metals. The ability of ROFA to induce oxidative burst in alveolar macrophage (AM) was determined in vitro using a chemiluminescence (CL) assay. AM CL signals in vitro were greatest with ROFA containing primarily soluble V and were less with ROFA containing Ni plus V. In summary, ROFA-induced in vivo acute pulmonary inflammation appears to be associated with its water-leachable V content; however, protein leakage appears to be associated with its water-leachable Ni content. ROFA-induced in vitro activation of AM was highest with ROFA containing leachable V but not with Ni plus V, suggesting that the potency and the mechanism of pulmonary injury will differ between emissions containing V and Ni.