Department of Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Japan.
J Occup Health. 2010;52(1):14-22. doi: 10.1539/joh.l9097. Epub 2009 Nov 25.
The aim of this study was to clarify the chronic toxicological effects of indium-tin oxide (ITO) and indium oxide (In(2)O(3)) on laboratory animals.
Male Syrian golden hamsters were intratracheally administered 3 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg of ITO particles, or 2.7 mg/kg or 5.4 mg/kg of In(2)O(3) particles, containing 2.2 mg/kg or 4.5 mg/kg of indium, twice a week, for 8 wk. Control hamsters were given vehicle of distilled water only. The hamsters were euthanized serially up to 78 wk after the final instillation and the toxicological effects were determined.
Body weight gain was significantly suppressed in the ITO 6 mg/kg-treated hamsters compared with the control group, but not in the ITO 3 mg/kg-treated or In(2)O(3)-treated hamsters. Relative lung weights among all the indium-treated groups were significantly increased compared to that in the control group throughout the observation period. The serum indium concentration among all the indium-treated groups gradually increased up to the end of the observation period. Histopathologically, foci of slight to severe pulmonary inflammatory response with diffuse alveolar or bronchiolar cell hyperplasia, expansion of the alveolar spaces and interstitial fibrotic proliferation were present in all the indium-treated hamsters and the severity of these lesions worsened with the passage of time. Lung benign adenomas were only manifest in 3 out of 15 of the ITO 6 mg/kg-treated hamsters.
The present results clearly demonstrate that ITO and In(2)O(3) particles caused chronic pulmonary toxicity when repeated intratracheal instillations were given to hamsters.
本研究旨在阐明氧化铟锡（ITO）和氧化铟（In2O3）对实验动物的慢性毒理学效应。
雄性叙利亚金仓鼠经气管内给予 3 mg/kg 或 6 mg/kg 的 ITO 颗粒，或 2.7 mg/kg 或 5.4 mg/kg 的 In2O3 颗粒，其中含有 2.2 mg/kg 或 4.5 mg/kg 的铟，每周两次，共 8 周。对照组仓鼠仅给予蒸馏水载体。在最后一次滴注后长达 78 周，处死仓鼠并确定毒理学效应。
与对照组相比，6 mg/kg ITO 处理的仓鼠体重增加明显受到抑制，但 3 mg/kg ITO 处理或 In2O3 处理的仓鼠则没有。所有铟处理组的相对肺重与对照组相比在整个观察期内均显著增加。所有铟处理组的血清铟浓度在观察期结束时逐渐增加。组织病理学检查显示，所有铟处理的仓鼠均出现轻微至严重的肺部炎症反应灶，伴有弥漫性肺泡或细支气管细胞增生、肺泡空间扩张和间质纤维增殖，随着时间的推移，这些病变的严重程度加重。只有 3 只 6 mg/kg ITO 处理的仓鼠出现肺良性腺瘤。
本研究结果清楚地表明，ITO 和 In2O3 颗粒反复气管内滴注可引起仓鼠慢性肺毒性。
