Department of Pathology and Biological Responses, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan.
Arch Biochem Biophys. 2010 Oct 1;502(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2010.06.015. Epub 2010 Jun 17.
Nano-sized durable fibrous materials such as carbon nanotubes have raised safety concerns similar to those raised by asbestos. However, the mechanism by which particulates with ultrafine structure cause inflammation and ultimately cancer (e.g. malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer) is largely unknown. This is partially because the particulates are not uniform and they vary in a plethora of factors. Such variances include length, diameter, surface area, density, shape, contaminant metals (including iron) and crystallinity. Each of these factors is involved in particulate toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, the elicited biological responses are incredibly complicated. Various kinds of fibers were evaluated with different cells, animals and methods. The aim of this review is to concisely summarize previous reports from the standpoint that activation of macrophages and mesothelial injury are the two major mechanisms of inflammation and possibly cancer. Importantly, these two mechanisms appear to be interacting with each other. However, there is a lack of data on the interplay of macrophage and mesothelium especially in vivo. Since fibrous nanomaterials present potential applications in various fields, it is necessary to develop standard evaluation methods to minimize risks for human health.
纳米级耐用纤维材料，如碳纳米管，引发了与石棉类似的安全问题。然而，具有超细结构的颗粒如何引起炎症，最终导致癌症（例如恶性间皮瘤和肺癌）的机制在很大程度上尚不清楚。部分原因是颗粒不均匀，并且在众多因素方面存在差异。这些差异包括长度、直径、表面积、密度、形状、污染物金属（包括铁）和结晶度。这些因素都参与了体外和体内的颗粒毒性。因此，所引起的生物学反应非常复杂。各种纤维已用不同的细胞、动物和方法进行了评估。本综述的目的是从激活巨噬细胞和间皮损伤是炎症和可能癌症的两个主要机制的角度，简要总结以前的报告。重要的是，这两个机制似乎相互作用。然而，关于巨噬细胞和间皮细胞相互作用的资料，特别是体内资料还很缺乏。由于纤维纳米材料在各个领域具有潜在的应用，因此有必要开发标准评估方法，以尽量减少对人类健康的风险。
