Dissolution of Short and Long Rockwool and Glasswool Fibers by Macrophages in Flowthrough Cell Culture

• Published in: Environmental research Vol. 78; no. 1; pp. 25 - 37
• Main Authors: Luoto, Kirsi, Holopainen, Mikko, Kangas, Juhani, Kalliokoski, Pentti, Savolainen, Kai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.07.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aluminum - chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Culture Techniques - methods; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; dissolution; fiber size; flowthrough culture with macrophages; Glass; Humans; Inorganic dusts (pneumoconiosises) and organic dusts (byssinosis etc.); Iron - chemistry; macrophage; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - physiology; Medical sciences; Mineral Fibers; MMVF; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Solubility; Toxicology; macrophage; fiber size; MMVF; flowthrough culture with macrophages; dissolution; Cell culture; Particle size; Artificial fiber; Synthetic fiber; Solubility; Glass wool; Mineral fiber; Dissolution; In vitro; Toxicokinetics; Mineral wool; Glass fiber; Pharmacokinetics; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1006/enrs.1997.3825

Dissolution of MMVF (man-made vitreous fibers) by macrophages has previously been studied utilizing cell cultures in wells. A new, more dynamic method has been developed to explore the effects of macrophages on MMVF dissolution. In this method, the culture medium flows through a membrane on which the macrophages and fibers are placed. The dissolution of short and long rockwool and glass-wool fibers was investigated in the present study by macrophages by assessing the dissolution of Si (silicon), Fe (iron), and Al (aluminium) from the fibers. Dissolution of these elements usually increased as a function of time. Generally, the dissolution of elements from the fibers in the flowthrough culture exceeded that observed with the culture in wells system. The dissolution of glasswool fibers was greater in medium than in cell culture, whereas the opposite was true for rockwool fibers. Dissolution of Si was greater from glasswool than from rockwool fibers, while the opposite was true for Fe and Al. Macrophages that had phagocytized fibers in flowthrough culture contained Si, and there were also precipitations with Si in the samples. The fibers in the flowthrough culture also exhibited surface changes such as breakings, pittings, etching, and peeling. The short rockwool fibers tended to fracture more than short glasswool fibers, while long glasswool fibers were more extensively broken than short glasswool fibers. The results with this new, dynamic, flowthrough culture method with macrophages demonstrate that this method provides valuable information on the abilities of macrophages to dissolve MMVF leading to subsequent morphological changes of fibers.