Surface PEGylation suppresses pulmonary effects of CuO in allergen-induced lung inflammation

BACKGROUND: Copper oxide (CuO) nanomaterials are used in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. These materials can be hazardous, especially if they are inhaled. As a result, the pulmonary effects of CuO nanomaterials have been studied in healthy subjects but limited knowledge exists today about their effects on lungs with allergic airway inflammation (AAI). The objective of this study was to investigate how pristine CuO modulates allergic lung inflammation and whether surface modifications can influence its reactivity. CuO and its carboxylated (CuO COOH), methylaminated (CuO NH3) and PEGylated (CuO PEG) derivatives were administered here on four consecutive days via oropharyngeal aspiration in a mouse model of AAI. Standard genome-wide gene expression profiling as well as conventional histopathological and immunological methods were used to investigate the modulatory effects of the nanomaterials on both healthy and compromised immune system. RESULTS: Our data demonstrates that although CuO materials did not considerably influence hallmarks of allergic airway inflammation, the materials exacerbated the existing lung inflammation by eliciting dramatic pulmonary neutrophilia. Transcriptomic analysis showed that CuO, CuO COOH and CuO NH3 commonly enriched neutrophil-related biological processes, especially in healthy mice. In sharp contrast, CuO PEG had a significantly lower potential in triggering changes in lungs of healthy and allergic mice revealing that surface PEGylation suppresses the effects triggered by the pristine material. CONCLUSIONS: CuO as well as its functionalized forms worsen allergic airway inflammation by causing neutrophilia in the lungs, however, our results also show that surface PEGylation can be a promising approach for inhibiting the effects of pristine CuO. Our study provides information for health and safety assessment of modified CuO materials, and it can be useful in the development of nanomedical applications

Biomarkers of nanomaterials hazard from multi-layer data

Nanomaterials have a range of potential applications, however, toxicity remains a concern, limiting application and requiring extensive testing. Here, the authors report on a predictive framework made using a range of tests linking materials properties with toxicity, allowing the prediction of toxicity from physiochemical and biological properties.There is an urgent need to apply effective, data-driven approaches to reliably predict engineered nanomaterial (ENM) toxicity. Here we introduce a predictive computational framework based on the molecular and phenotypic effects of a large panel of ENMs across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Our methodology allows for the grouping of ENMs based on multi-omics approaches combined with robust toxicity tests. Importantly, we identify mRNA-based toxicity markers and extensively replicate them in multiple independent datasets. We find that models based on combinations of omics-derived features and material intrinsic properties display significantly improved predictive accuracy as compared to physicochemical properties alone

Self-organized, gratinglike nanostructures in polymer films with embedded metal nanoparticles induced by femtosecond laser irradiation

The self-organized formation of periodic superstructures in thin plasma polymer films containing noble metal nanoparticles upon femtosecond laser irradiation has been studied in detail. By applying several hundred laser pulses on average per spot, the nanostructure of the metal layer is persistently changed into an approximate line grating with periodical changes in particle size and shape as observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The formation of the structures is only possible within rather narrow ranges of laser intensity and metal content. The orientation of the lines is given by the laser polarization, while their spatial periodicity depends on laser wavelength and incidence angle. These observations give evidence that interference of incident light with light scattered into the film plane is the main mechanism controlling the nanostructure formation. We also discuss the optical spectra of the irradiated regions, in particular the observed dichroism and its relation to the prepared periodic structures

Analytical challenges and practical solutions for enforcing labeling of nanoingredients in food products in the European Union

Food ingredients present in the form of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) require specific labeling as “nano” in the European Union. Enforcing proper labeling of “nano” labeling poses several analytical challenges. This includes the many potential sources of NPs in food which can interfere with the analysis, the challenges in relation to sample preparation, the limitations of existing analytical techniques, and the lack of validated studies and reference materials. This book chapter summarizes these challenges and, in addition, suggests a screening strategy for inorganic NPs in food. It further highlights the future challenges of analyzing organic and carbon-based nanomaterials.</p

Die Analyse des Verhaltens von Leitern im Problembearbeitungsprozess und ihre methodischen Moeglichkeiten eine Problemstudie

SIGLEUni.Jena, Inst.f.Psychologie - V IIIa 208 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Leistungs- und Persoenlichkeitsfoerderung durch sozialpsychologische und soziologische Mitwirkung bei der Arbeitsgestaltung

SIGLEUni.Jena, Inst.f.Psychologie - Ms. 234 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman