Adsorption of Macromolecules on Mineral Fibers

Abstract

Several mineral fibers were shown to adsorb differentially to three classes of biologically significant macromolecules (i.e., DNA, RNA, and protein). The cytotoxicity exerted by the particulates on a normal human fibroblast cell line, with the exception of attapulgite, correlated positively with the degree of macromolecular adsorption exhibited by these substances, namely: short chrysotile > attapulgite = intermediate chrysotile > amosite > glass fiber. Correspondingly, the ability to interfere with the enzymatic hydrolysis of deoxyribonucleic acid by bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I followed a similar pattern, i.e., chrysotile > amosite = glass fiber. The results suggest that adsorption by mineral fibers may induce changes in enzyme-substrate interactions and therefore could interfere with normal biological processes.