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Human intestinal epithelial cells exhibit a cellular response indicating a potential toxicity upon exposure to hematite nanoparticles

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of different-sized nanoparticles on potential cytotoxicity in intestinal epithelia. Three sizes of hematite nanoparticles were used for the study at a 10 ppm concentration: 17, 53, and, 100 nm. Results indicate that, of the hematite nanoparticles tested, 17 nm was more toxic to the epithelial integrity than 53 or 100 nm. In addition, the epithelial integrity was affected by disruption of epithelial structures such as apical microvilli, and by disruption of the cell–cell junctions leading to reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance measurements (TEER). The drop in TEER was caused by disruption of the adhering junctions not by cell death, as determined by immunocytochemistry, and by using a cell viability assay. Epithelial integrity was also affected at the molecular level as shown by differential expression of genes related to cell junction maintenance, which was assessed by microarray analysis. In conclusion, the 17- and 100-nm hematite nanoparticles caused significant structural changes in the epithelium but not the 53 nm nanoparticles. Also, different-sized hematite nanoparticles each had different effects both at the cellular level and genetic level.

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Abbreviations

HNPs:

Hematite nanoparticles

TEER:

Transepithelial electrical resistance

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory, the Electron Microscope Laboratory, and the Molecular Biology Laboratory at the School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University. This research was supported by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) USA, grant numbers: EPA-G2007-STAR-R1 and RD-83385601. The authors wish to state that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 4501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    Madhavi Kalive & David G. Capco

  2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Wen Zhang & Yongsheng Chen

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  1. Madhavi Kalive
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  2. Wen Zhang
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  4. David G. Capco
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Correspondence to Yongsheng Chen or David G. Capco.

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Kalive, M., Zhang, W., Chen, Y. et al. Human intestinal epithelial cells exhibit a cellular response indicating a potential toxicity upon exposure to hematite nanoparticles. Cell Biol Toxicol 28, 343–368 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10565-012-9229-7

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