Comparative analysis of cytology of rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after single exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Introduction. Human production activities (metallurgical, mining, electronics production and processing, batteries) are related to air pollution of the working area and the environments of complex composition aerosols. Among the aerosol components, ultrathin particles of the nanometer range (including metal nano-oxides) are considered to be the most dangerous. Due to their prevalence, study to assess the cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles are relevant. Material and methods. CuO, PbO, CdO, Fe2O3, NiO nanoparticle (NP) suspension were obtained by laser ablation. The study was done on white outbred female rats. A single intratracheal instillation of different chemical NPs was performed (in dose 0.5 mg/animal); control animals received a similar amount of deionized water. A day after the NP instillation bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was carried out with the subsequent assessment of its cytological indices. Results. The cytotoxic action of the studied NPs, based on the cytological indices of the BAL fluid, is changed as follows (from greater to lesser): CuO NP > CdO NP > PbO NP > NiO NP > Fe2O3 NP. Limitations. Such physical characteristics of nanoparticles as solubility in water and biological fluids, charge, adsorption capacity, resistance to aggregation, hydrophobicity, adhesion to surfaces, and the ability to generate free radicals have not been studied. Extrapolation of data from rodents to humans shall be done with caution, since cytotoxicity has been characterized only based on the main cellular parameters. Conclusion. Bronchoalveolar lavage cytology can be used as an effective screening method for the cytotoxic effect of NPs.