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Cheng Y, Zhang Y, Wang C, Zhao W, Huang C, Zhang Z, Sheng L, Song F, Cao Y. Effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and halloysite nanotubes on plasma lipid profiles and autophagic lipolysis pathways in mouse aortas and hearts. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2024; 39:4431-4446. [PMID: 38856197 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are widely used tubular-structured nanomaterials (NMs), but their cardiovascular effects are not clear. This study compared the effects of MWCNTs and HNTs on lipid profiles in mouse plasma and gene expression profiles in aortas and hearts. Mice were intravenously injected with 50 μg NMs, once a day, for 5 days. Then, the plasma was collected for lipidomics analysis, and aortas and hearts were collected for RNA-sequencing analysis. While MWCNTs or HNTs did not induce obvious pathological changes in aortas or hearts, the lipid profiles in mouse plasma were altered. Further analysis revealed that MWCNTs more effectively upregulated sphingolipids and sterol lipids, whereas HNTs more effectively upregulated glycerophospholipids and fatty acyls. Consistently, RNA-sequencing data indicated that MWCNTs and HNTs altered signaling pathways related with lipid synthesis and metabolism, as well as those related with endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes and autophagy, more significantly in aortas than in hearts. We further verified the changes of proteins involved in autophagic lipolysis, that MWCNTs were more effectively to suppress the autophagic biomarker LC3, whereas HNTs were more effectively to affect lipid metabolism proteins. These results may provide novel understanding about the influences of MWCNTs and HNTs on lipid profiles and lipid signaling pathways in cardiovascular systems. Importantly, previous studies considered HNTs as biocompatible materials, but the results from this study suggested that both MWCNTs and HNTs were capable to affect lipid profiles and autophagic lipolysis pathways in cardiovascular systems, although their exact influences were different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Cheng
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yimin Zhang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Canyang Wang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Weichao Zhao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Chaobo Huang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), Nanjing, China
| | - Zelin Zhang
- National Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petro-chemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Liping Sheng
- National Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petro-chemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Fengmei Song
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Zhang Y, Cheng Y, Zhao W, Song F, Cao Y. Effects of Halloysite Nanotubes and Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes on Kruppel-like Factor 15-Mediated Downstream Events in Mouse Hearts After Intravenous Injection. Cardiovasc Toxicol 2024; 24:408-421. [PMID: 38411850 DOI: 10.1007/s12012-024-09844-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are nanomaterials (NMs) derived from natural clays and have been considered as biocompatible NMs for biomedical uses. However, the cardiovascular toxicity of HNTs has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we compared the cardiotoxicity of HNTs and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), focusing on the changes in Kruppel-like factor (KLF)-mediated signaling pathways. Mice were intravenously injected with 50 µg NMs, once a day, for 5 days, and then mouse hearts were removed for experiments. While HNTs or MWCNTs did not induce obvious pathological changes, RNA-sequencing data suggested the alterations of KLF gene expression. We further confirmed an increase of Klf15 positive cells, accompanied by changes in Klf15-related gene ontology (GO) terms. We noticed that most of the changed GO terms are related with the regulation of gene expression, and we confirmed that the NMs increased myoneurin (Mynn) but decreased snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (Snai1), two transcription factors (TFs) related with Klf15. Besides, the changed GO terms also include metal ion binding and positive regulation of glucose import, and we verified an increase of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (Pck1) and insulin receptor (Insr). However, HNTs and MWCNTs only showed minimal impact on cell death signaling pathways, and no increase in apoptotic sites was observed after NM treatment. We concluded that intravenous administration of HNTs and MWCNTs activated a protective TF, namely Klf15 in mouse aortas, to alter gene expression and signaling pathways related with metal ion binding and glucose import.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimin Zhang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yujia Cheng
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Weichao Zhao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Fengmei Song
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.
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Liu X, Yang C, Chen P, Zhang L, Cao Y. The uses of transcriptomics and lipidomics indicated that direct contact with graphene oxide altered lipid homeostasis through ER stress in 3D human brain organoids. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 849:157815. [PMID: 35931159 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The potential uses of graphene-based nanomaterials (NMs) in various fields lead to the concern about their neurotoxicity, considering that graphene-based NMs are capable to cross blood brain barrier (BBB) and enter central nervous system (CNS). Although previous studies reported the possibility of graphene-based NM exposure to alter lipid homeostasis in animals or cultured neurons, recent studies suggested the need to use 3D human brain organoids for mechanism-based toxicological studies as this model might better recapitulate the complex human brains. Herein, we used multi-omics techniques to investigate the mechanisms of graphene oxide (GO) on lipid homeostasis in a novel 3D brain organoid model. We found that 50 μg/mL GO induced cytotoxicity but not superoxide. RNA-sequencing data showed that 50 μg/mL GO significantly up-regulated and down-regulated 80 and 121 genes, respectively. Furthermore, we found that GO exposure altered biological molecule metabolism pathways including lipid metabolism. Consistently, lipidomics data supported dose-dependent alteration of lipid profiles by GO in 3D brain organoids. Interestingly, co-exposure to GO and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) decreased most of the lipid classes compared with the exposure of GO only. We further verified that exposure to GO promoted ER stress marker GRP78 proteins, which in turn activated IRE1α/XBP-1 axis, and these changes were partially or completely inhibited by 4-PBA. These results proved that direct contact with GO disrupted lipid homeostasis through the activation of ER stress. As 3D brain organoids resemble human brains, these data might be better extrapolated to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Liu
- Department of Food science and Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai 564507, China
| | - Chao Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Institute of Innovation and Application, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province 316022, China
| | - P Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada; Advanced Materials Institute, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
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Dube S, Rawtani D, Khatri N, Parikh G. A deep delve into the chemistry and biocompatibility of halloysite nanotubes: A new perspective on an idiosyncratic nanocarrier for delivering drugs and biologics. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 309:102776. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Cao Y. Nutrient molecule corona: An update for nanomaterial-food component interactions. Toxicology 2022; 476:153253. [PMID: 35811011 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2022.153253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The adsorption of biological molecules to nanomaterials (NMs) will significantly impact NMs' behavior in complex microenvironments. Previously we proposed the need to consider the interactions between food components and NMs for the evaluation of oral toxicity of NMs. This review updated this concept as nutrient molecule corona, that the adsorption of nutrient molecules alters the uptake of nutrient molecules and/or NMs, as well as the signaling pathways to induce a combined toxicity due to the biologically active nature of nutrient molecules. Even with the presence of protein corona, nutrient molecules may still bind to NMs to change the identities of NMs in vivo. Furthermore, this review proposed the binding of excessive nutrient molecules to NMs to induce a combined toxicity under pathological conditions such as metabolic diseases. The structures of nutrient molecules and physicochemical properties of NMs determine nutrient molecule corona formation, and these aspects should be considered to limit the unwanted effects brought by nutrient molecule corona. In conclusion, similar to other biological molecule corona, the formation of nutrient molecule corona due to the presence of food components or excessive nutrient molecules in pathophysiological microenvironments will alter the behaviors of NMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
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Tang X, Song F, Zhao W, Zhang Z, Cao Y. Intratracheal instillation of graphene oxide decreases anti-virus responses and lipid contents via suppressing Toll-like receptor 3 in mouse livers. J Appl Toxicol 2022; 42:1822-1831. [PMID: 35727742 DOI: 10.1002/jat.4359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies revealed a causal relationship between Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and lipid droplet biogenesis. Interestingly, it has been reported before that nanomaterials (NMs) were capable to modulate TLRs, but it remains unclear if NMs could affect lipid levels via TLR signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated the influences of airway exposure to graphene oxide (GO) on TLR3 signaling pathways and lipid levels in mouse livers. Intratracheal instillation of GO (0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg, once a day, totally 5 days) induced inflammatory cell infiltrations as indicated by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and fibrosis as indicated by Masson staining in lungs, accompanying with decreased TLR3 proteins. Consistently, a TLR3-regulated anti-virus protein, namely interferon induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1 (IFIT1), as well as two TLR3-regulated lipid proteins, namely radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2 (RSAD2) and perilipin 2 (PLIN2), were decreased in lungs. The protein levels of interferon-β in serum were also decreased. In livers, GO exposure induced disorganization of liver cells but not fibrosis. In agreement with the trends observed in lungs, TLR3, IFIT1, RSAD2, and PLIN2 proteins were decreased in livers. As a possible consequence, GO exposure dose-dependently decreased lipid levels in livers as indicated by oil red O and BODIPY 493/503 staining. We concluded that airway exposure to GO decreased anti-virus responses and lipid levels in mouse livers via the suppression of TLR3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Tang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Fengmei Song
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Weichao Zhao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Zhaohui Zhang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Li S, Yan D, Huang C, Yang F, Cao Y. TiO 2 nanosheets promote the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells into foam cells in vitro and in vivo through the up-regulation of nuclear factor kappa B subunit 2. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 424:127704. [PMID: 34799167 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials have been shown to promote atherosclerosis through endothelial dysfunction. This study investigated the toxicity of TiO2 nanosheets (NSs) to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), one of the pivotal cells involved in all stages of atherosclerosis. Only a high concentration of TiO2 NSs (128 μg/mL) modestly induced cytotoxicity by decreasing thiols. RNA-sequencing data revealed that 64 μg/mL TiO2 NSs significantly down-regulated 94 genes and up-regulated 174 genes, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways related to SMC function and lipid metabolism were altered. TiO2 NSs increased nuclear factor kappa B subunit 2 (NFKB2), which led to a decrease in VSMC marker actin alpha 2, smooth muscle (ACTA2). On the other hand, macrophage marker CD36 and fatty acid synthase (FASN) proteins were increased. Additionally, TiO2 NSs induced inflammatory cytokines and lipid accumulation, and these effects were curtailed by NFKB inhibitor - triptolide. Furthermore, repeated TiO2 NS injection (5 mg/kg BW, once a day for 5 continuous days) into ICR mice led to increased NFKB2, CD36 and FASN, with a decreased ACTA2. Our results suggested that TiO2 NSs promoted the transformation of VSMCs into foam cells through the up-regulation of NFKB2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Li
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China; College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), Nanjing 210037, China; Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Dejian Yan
- Institute of Advanced Materials, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chaobo Huang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Fei Yang
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China; Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China.
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Luo Y, Li J, Huang C, Wang X, Long D, Cao Y. Graphene oxide links alterations of anti-viral signaling pathways with lipid metabolism via suppressing TLR3 in vascular smooth muscle cells. Mol Omics 2022; 18:779-790. [DOI: 10.1039/d2mo00086e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), the main cells constructing blood vessels, are important in the regulation of the pathophysiology of vascular systems; however, relatively few studies have investigated the influence of nanomaterials (NMs) on VSMCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingmei Luo
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
- College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), Nanjing 210037, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China
| | - Juan Li
- Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China
| | - Chaobo Huang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Dingxin Long
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China
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Pei L, Yang W, Cao Y. Influences of Unmodified and Carboxylated Carbon Nanotubes on Lipid Profiles in THP-1 Macrophages: A Lipidomics Study. Int J Toxicol 2021; 41:16-25. [PMID: 34886715 DOI: 10.1177/10915818211056633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Since the possible roles of surface modifications in determining multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-promoted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated lipid-laden macrophage foam cell formation are still in debate, we compared unmodified and carboxylated MWCNT-induced cytotoxicity, lipid profile changes, and expression of ER stress genes in THP-1 macrophages. Particularly, we focused on lipid profile changes by using lipidomics approaches. We found that unmodified and carboxylated MWCNTs significantly decreased cellular viability and appeared to damage the cellular membrane to a similar extent. Likewise, the results from Oil Red O staining showed that both types of MWCNTs slightly but significantly induced lipid accumulation. In keeping with Oil Red O staining results, lipidomics data showed that both types of MWCNTs up-regulated most of the lipid classes. Interestingly, almost all lipid classes were relatively higher in carboxylated MWCNT-exposed THP-1 macrophages compared with unmodified MWCNT-exposed cells, indicating that carboxylated MWCNTs more effectively changed lipid profiles. But in contrast to our expectation, none of the MWCNTs significantly induced the expression of ER stress genes. Even, compared with carboxylated MWCNTs, unmodified MWCNTs induced higher expression of lipid genes, including macrophage scavenger receptor 1 and fatty acid synthase. Combined, our results suggested that even though carboxylation did not significantly affect MWCNT-induced lipid accumulation, carboxylated MWCNTs were more potent to alter lipid profiles in THP-1 macrophages, indicating the need to use omics techniques to understand the exact nanotoxicological effects of MWCNTs. However, the differential effects of unmodified and carboxylated MWCNTs on lipid profiles might not be related with the induction of ER stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanjie Pei
- 498598Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China.,498598Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenxiang Yang
- 498598Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China.,498598Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Luo Y, Wang X, Cao Y. Transcriptomic-based toxicological investigations of graphene oxide with modest cytotoxicity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells: changes of Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2021; 10:1104-1115. [PMID: 34956614 PMCID: PMC8692726 DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The wide uses of graphene oxide (GO) lead to the contact of GO with vascular systems, so it is necessary to investigate the toxicological effects of GO to endothelial cells. Recently, we reported that GO of small lateral size (<500 nm) was relatively biocompatible to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), but recent studies by using omics-techniques revealed that nanomaterials (NMs) even without acute cytotoxicity might induce other toxicological effects. This study investigated the effects of GO on HUVECs based on RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Even after exposure to 100 μg/ml GO, the cellular viability of HUVECs was higher than 70%. Furthermore, 25 μg/ml GO was internalized but did not induce ultrastructural changes or intracellular superoxide. These results combined indicated GO's relatively high biocompatibility. However, by analyzing the most significantly altered Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes pathways, we found that 25 μg/ml GO altered pathways related to immune systems' functions and the responses to virus. We further verified that GO exposure significantly decreased Toll-like receptor 3 and interleukin 8 proteins, indicating an immune suppressive effect. However, THP-1 monocyte adhesion was induced by GO with or without the presence of inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide. We concluded that GO might inhibit the immune responses to virus in endothelial cells at least partially mediated by the inhibition of TLR3. Our results also highlighted a need to investigate the toxicological effects of NMs even without acute cytotoxicity by omics-based techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingmei Luo
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Biochemistry, College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
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