Ruibin Li

Use of Coated Silver Nanoparticles to Understand the Relationship of Particle Dissolution and Bioavailability to Cell and Lung Toxicological Potential

Since more than 30% of consumer products that include engineered nanomaterials contain nano-Ag, the safety of this material is of considerable public concern. In this study, Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are used to demonstrate that 20 nm polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP or P) and citrate (C)-coated Ag NPs induce more cellular toxicity and oxidative stress than larger (110 nm) particles due to a higher rate of dissolution and Ag bioavailability. Moreover, there is also a higher propensity for citrate 20 nm (C20) nanoparticles to generate acute neutrophilic inflammation in the lung and to produce chemokines compared to C110. P110 has less cytotoxic effects than C110, likely due to the ability of PVP to complex released Ag(+) . In contrast to the more intense acute pulmonary effects of C20, C110 induces mild pulmonary fibrosis at day 21, likely as a result of slow but persistent Ag(+) release leading to a sub-chronic injury response. Interestingly, the released metallic Ag is incorporated into the collagen fibers depositing around airways and the lung interstitium. Taken together, these results demonstrate that size and surface coating affect the cellular toxicity of Ag NPs as well as their acute versus sub-chronic lung injury potential.

Pluronic F108 Coating Decreases the Lung Fibrosis Potential of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes by Reducing Lysosomal Injury

We compared the use of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and pluronic F108 (PF108) as dispersants for multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in terms of tube stability as well as profibrogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. While BSA-dispersed tubes were a potent inducer of pulmonary fibrosis, PF108 coating protected the tubes from damaging the lysosomal membrane and initiating a sequence of cooperative cellular events that play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Our results suggest that PF108 coating could serve as a safer design approach for MWCNTs.

Surface Interactions with Compartmentalized Cellular Phosphates Explain Rare Earth Oxide Nanoparticle Hazard and Provide Opportunities for Safer Design

Growing international exploitation of rare earth oxides (REOs) for commercial and biological use has increased the possibility of human exposure and adverse health effects. Occupational exposure to rare earth materials in miners and polishers leads to a severe form of pneumoconiosis, while gadolinium-containing MRI contrast agents cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with renal impairment. The mechanisms for inducing these adverse pro-fibrogenic effects are of considerable importance for the safety assessment of REO particles as well as presenting opportunities for safer design. In this study, using a well-prepared REO library, we obtained a mechanistic understanding of how REOs induce cellular and pulmonary damage by a compartmentalized intracellular biotransformation process in lysosomes that results in pro-fibrogenic growth factor production and lung fibrosis. We demonstrate that rare earth oxide ion shedding in acidifying macrophage lysosomes leads to biotic phosphate complexation that results in organelle damage due to stripping of phosphates from the surrounding lipid bilayer. This results in nanoparticle biotransformation into urchin shaped structures and setting in motion a series of events that trigger NLRP3 inflammasome activation, IL-1β release, TGF-β1 and PDGF-AA production. However, pretreatment of REO nanoparticles with phosphate in a neutral pH environment prevents biological transformation and pro-fibrogenic effects. This can be used as a safer design principle for producing rare earth nanoparticles for biological use.

Engineering an effective immune adjuvant by designed control of shape and crystallinity of aluminum oxyhydroxide nanoparticles.

Adjuvants based on aluminum salts (Alum) are commonly used in vaccines to boost the immune response against infectious agents. However, the detailed mechanism of how Alum enhances adaptive immunity and exerts its adjuvant immune effect remains unclear. Other than being comprised of micrometer-sized aggregates that include nanoscale particulates, Alum lacks specific physicochemical properties to explain activation of the innate immune system, including the mechanism by which aluminum-based adjuvants engage the NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β production. This is putatively one of the major mechanisms required for an adjuvant effect. Because we know that long aspect ratio nanomaterials trigger the NLRP3 inflammasome, we synthesized a library of aluminum oxyhydroxide (AlOOH) nanorods to determine whether control of the material shape and crystalline properties could be used to quantitatively assess NLRP3 inflammasome activation and linkage of the cellular response to the materials adjuvant activities in vivo. Using comparison to commercial Alum, we demonstrate that the crystallinity and surface hydroxyl group display of AlOOH nanoparticles quantitatively impact the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in human THP-1 myeloid cells or murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Moreover, these in vitro effects were correlated with the immunopotentiation capabilities of the AlOOH nanorods in a murine OVA immunization model. These results demonstrate that shape, crystallinity, and hydroxyl content play an important role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation and are therefore useful for quantitative boosting of antigen-specific immune responses. These results show that the engineered design of aluminum-based adjuvants in combination with dendritic cell property-activity analysis can be used to design more potent aluminum-based adjuvants.

NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Induced by Engineered Nanomaterials

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) continue to attract significant attention because they have novel physicochemical properties that can improve the functions of products that will benefit human lives. However, the physicochemical properties that make ENMs attractive could interact with biological systems and induce cascades of events that cause toxicological effects. Recently, there have been more studies suggesting inflammasome activation may play an important role in ENM-induced biological responses. Inflammasomes are a family of multiprotein complexes that are increasingly recognized as major mediators of the host immune system. Among these, NLRP3 inflammasome is the most studied that could directly interact with ENMs to generate inflammatory responses. In this review, the ENM physicochemical properties are linked to NLRP3 inflammasome activation. An understanding of the mechanisms of ENM-NLRP3 inflammasome interactions will provide us with strategies for safer nanomaterial design and therapy.

NADPH Oxidase-Dependent NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and its Important Role in Lung Fibrosis by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the key role of NADPH oxidase in NLRP3 inflammasome activation and generation of pulmonary fibrosis by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Although it is known that oxidative stress plays a role in pulmonary fibrosis by single-walled CNTs, the role of specific sources of reactive oxygen species, including NADPH oxidase, in inflammasome activation remains to be clarified. In this study, three long aspect ratio (LAR) materials (MWCNTs, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and silver nanowires) are used to compare with spherical carbon black and silver nanoparticles for their ability to trigger oxygen burst activity and NLRP3 assembly. All LAR materials but not spherical nanoparticles induce robust NADPH oxidase activation and respiratory burst activity in THP-1 cells, which are blunted in p22(phox) -deficient cells. The NADPH oxidase is directly involved in lysosomal damage by LAR materials, as demonstrated by decreased cathepsin B release and IL-1β production in p22(phox) -deficient cells. Reduced respiratory burst activity and inflammasome activation are also observed in bone marrow-derived macrophages from p47(phox) -deficient mice. Moreover, p47(phox) -deficient mice have reduced IL-1β production and lung collagen deposition in response to MWCNTs. Lung fibrosis is also suppressed by N-acetyl-cysteine in wild-type animals exposed to MWCNTs.

Use of a pro-fibrogenic mechanism-based predictive toxicological approach for tiered testing and decision analysis of carbonaceous nanomaterials

Engineered carbonaceous nanomaterials (ECNs), including single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene, and graphene oxide (GO), are potentially hazardous to the lung. With incremental experience in the use of predictive toxicological approaches, seeking to relate ECN physicochemical properties to adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), it is logical to explore the existence of a common AOP that allows comparative analysis of broad ECN categories. We established an ECN library comprising three different types of SWCNTs, graphene, and graphene oxide (two sizes) for comparative analysis according to a cell-based AOP that also plays a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. SWCNTs synthesized by Hipco, arc discharge and Co-Mo catalyst (CoMoCAT) methods were obtained in their as-prepared (AP) state, following which they were further purified (PD) or coated with Pluronic F108 (PF108) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) to improve dispersal and colloidal stability. GO was prepared as two sizes, GO-small (S) and GO-large (L), while the graphene samples were coated with BSA and PF108 to enable dispersion in aqueous solution. In vitro screening showed that AP- and PD-SWCNTs, irrespective of the method of synthesis, as well as graphene (BSA) and GO (S and L) could trigger interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) production in myeloid (THP-1) and epithelial (BEAS-2B) cell lines, respectively. Oropharyngeal aspiration in mice confirmed that AP-Hipco tubes, graphene (BSA-dispersed), GO-S and GO-L could induce IL-1β and TGF-β1 production in the lung in parallel with lung fibrosis. Notably, GO-L was the most pro-fibrogenic material based on rapid kinetics of pulmonary injury. In contrast, PF108-dispersed SWCNTs and -graphene failed to exert fibrogenic effects. Collectively, these data indicate that the dispersal state and surface reactivity of ECNs play key roles in triggering a pro-fibrogenic AOP, which could prove helpful for hazard ranking and a proposed tiered testing approach for large ECN categories.

PdO Doping Tunes Band-Gap Energy Levels as Well as Oxidative Stress Responses to a Co3O4 p-Type Semiconductor in Cells and the Lung

We demonstrate through PdO doping that creation of heterojunctions on Co3O4 nanoparticles can quantitatively adjust band-gap and Fermi energy levels to study the impact of metal oxide nanoparticle semiconductor properties on cellular redox homeostasis and hazard potential. Flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) was used to synthesize a nanoparticle library in which the gradual increase in the PdO content (0–8.9%) allowed electron transfer from Co3O4 to PdO to align Fermi energy levels across the heterojunctions. This alignment was accompanied by free hole accumulation at the Co3O4 interface and production of hydroxyl radicals. Interestingly, there was no concomitant superoxide generation, which could reflect the hole dominance of a p-type semiconductor. Although the electron flux across the heterojunctions induced upward band bending, the Ec levels of the doped particles showed energy overlap with the biological redox potential (BRP). This allows electron capture from the redox couples that maintain the BRP from −4.12 to −4.84 eV, causing disruption of cellular redox homeostasis and induction of oxidative stress. PdO/Co3O4 nanoparticles showed significant increases in cytotoxicity at 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL, which was enhanced incrementally by PdO doping in BEAS-2B and RAW 264.7 cells. Oxidative stress presented as a tiered cellular response involving superoxide generation, glutathione depletion, cytokine production, and cytotoxicity in epithelial and macrophage cell lines. A progressive series of acute pro-inflammatory effects could also be seen in the lungs of animals exposed to incremental PdO-doped particles. All considered, generation of a combinatorial PdO/Co3O4 nanoparticle library with incremental heterojunction density allowed us to demonstrate the integrated role of Ev, Ec, and Ef levels in the generation of oxidant injury and inflammation by the p-type semiconductor, Co3O4.

Enhancing the Imaging and Biosafety of Upconversion Nanoparticles through Phosphonate Coating

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which are generated by doping with rare earth (RE) metals, are increasingly used for bioimaging because of the advantages they hold over conventional fluorophores. However, because pristine RE nanoparticles (NPs) are unstable in acidic physiological fluids (e.g., lysosomes), leading to intracellular phosphate complexation with the possibility of lysosomal injury, it is important to ensure that UCNPs are safely designed. In this study, we used commercially available NaYF4:Er/Yb UCNPs to study their stability in lysosomes and simulated lysosomal fluid. We demonstrate that phosphate complexation leads to REPO4 deposition on the particle surfaces and morphological transformation. This leads to a decline in upconversion fluorescence efficiency as well as inducing pro-inflammatory effects at the cellular level and in the intact lung. In order to preserve the imaging properties of the UCNPs as well as improve their safety, we experimented with a series of phosphonate chemical moieties to passivate particle surfaces through the strong coordination of the organophosphates with RE atoms. Particle screening and physicochemical characterization revealed that ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP) surface coating provides the most stable UCNPs, which maintain their imaging intensity and do not induce pro-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. In summary, phosphonate coating presents a safer design method that preserves and improves the bioimaging properties of UCNPs, thereby enhancing their biological use.

Interference in autophagosome fusion by rare earth nanoparticles disrupts autophagic flux and regulation of an interleukin-1β producing inflammasome.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) including multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and rare earth oxide (REO) nanoparticles, which are capable of activating the NLRP3 inflammasome and inducing IL-1β production, have the potential to cause chronic lung toxicity. Although it is known that lysosome damage is an upstream trigger in initiating this pro-inflammatory response, the same organelle is also an important homeostatic regulator of activated NLRP3 inflammasome complexes, which are engulfed by autophagosomes and then destroyed in lysosomes after fusion. Although a number of ENMs have been shown to induce autophagy, no definitive research has been done on the homeostatic regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome during autophagic flux. We used a myeloid cell line (THP-1) and bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDM) to compare the role of autophagy in regulating inflammasome activation and IL-1β production by MWCNTs and REO nanoparticles. THP-1 cells express a constitutively active autophagy pathway and are also known to mimic NLRP3 activation in pulmonary macrophages. We demonstrate that, while activated NLRP3 complexes could be effectively removed by autophagosome fusion in cells exposed to MWCNTs, REO nanoparticles interfered in autophagosome fusion with lysosomes. This leads to the accumulation of the REO-activated inflammasomes, resulting in robust and sustained IL-1β production. The mechanism of REO nanoparticle interference in autophagic flux was clarified by showing that they disrupt lysosomal phosphoprotein function and interfere in the acidification that is necessary for lysosome fusion with autophagosomes. Binding of LaPO4 to the REO nanoparticle surfaces leads to urchin-shaped nanoparticles collecting in the lysosomes. All considered, these data demonstrate that in contradistinction to autophagy induction by some ENMs, specific materials such as REOs interfere in autophagic flux, thereby disrupting homeostatic regulation of activated NLRP3 complexes.