Division of Biochemical Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Inhal Toxicol. 2009 Jul;21 Suppl 1:131-6. doi: 10.1080/08958370902942574.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are being produced in increasing quantities and the application of these materials in a large number of new technologies and consumer products necessitates studies of their potential impact on human health and the environment. To determine whether SWCNT affect viability or function of macrophages, important components of the innate immune system, we performed in vitro studies using primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM). Our findings show that SWCNT with a low content of metal impurities do not exert direct cytotoxic effects on HMDM. However, SWCNT suppressed chemotaxis of primary human monocytes in a standard chemotaxis assay. Moreover, macrophage engulfment of apoptotic target cells was significantly impaired following pre-incubation of HMDM with SWCNT at non-cytotoxic concentrations. These results are in line with previous studies showing that ultrafine carbon particles and carbon nanotubes may impair alveolar macrophage ingestion of microorganisms, and suggest that tissue homeostasis may be compromised by SWCNT due to suppressive effects on macrophages.
单壁碳纳米管（SWCNT）的产量正在不断增加，这些材料在许多新技术和消费产品中的应用需要研究它们对人类健康和环境的潜在影响。为了确定 SWCNT 是否会影响先天免疫系统的重要组成部分——巨噬细胞的活力或功能，我们使用原代人单核细胞衍生的巨噬细胞（HMDM）进行了体外研究。我们的研究结果表明，金属杂质含量低的 SWCNT 对 HMDM 没有直接的细胞毒性作用。然而，SWCNT 在标准趋化实验中抑制了原代人单核细胞的趋化性。此外，在非细胞毒性浓度下用 SWCNT 孵育 HMDM 后，巨噬细胞吞噬凋亡靶细胞的能力显著受损。这些结果与先前的研究一致，表明超细碳颗粒和碳纳米管可能会损害肺泡巨噬细胞对微生物的吞噬作用，并表明由于对巨噬细胞的抑制作用，组织内稳态可能会因 SWCNT 而受到损害。
