Nanosized silver, but not titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, enhances oxidative stress and inflammatory response by inducing 5-HETE activation in THP-1 cells.

Bioactive, oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are important indicators of inflammation and oxidative stress but almost nothing is known about their interactions with nanomaterials (NMs). To investigate the effects of nano-sized materials (n-TiO2, n-ZnO, n-Ag) and their bulk-sized or ionic (b-TiO2, b-ZnO, i-Ag) counterpart, we studied the status of oxidative stress and PUFA metabolism in THP-1 cells at low-toxic concentrations (<15% cytotoxicity) 6 h or 24 h after the particle exposures by LC/MS and microarray. N-Ag had a significant and sustained impact on cellular antioxidant defense, seen as incremental synthesis and accumulation of glutathione (GSH) in the cell, and reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The cellular particle doses were largely dependent on exposure duration and particle dissolution, and active transporter mechanisms controlled the concentration of Zn in cytosol. Even at these sub-toxic concentrations, n-Ag was able to induce statistically significant elevation in the 5-HETE: arachidonic acid ratio at 24 h, which suggests association to oxidative stress and induction of pro-inflammatory responses. This was supported by the enhanced gene expression of chemotaxis-related genes. Overall, THP-1 cells internalized all tested particles, but only n-Ag led to low level of oxidative stress through ROS production and antioxidant balance disruption. N-Ag stimulated arachidonic acid oxidation to form 5-HETE which further magnified the inflammatory responses by enhancing the production of mitochondrial superoxide and leukocyte chemokines. Since the sustained n-Ag uptake was detected, the effects may last long and function as a trigger for the low-grade inflammation playing role in the chronic inflammatory diseases.

Silver, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles trigger miRNA/isomiR expression changes in THP-1 cells that are proportional to their health hazard potential.

After over a decade of nanosafety research, it is indisputable that the vast majority of nano-sized particles induce a plethora of adverse cellular responses - the severity of which is linked to the material's physicochemical properties. Differentiated THP-1 cells were previously exposed for 6 h and 24 h to silver, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles at the maximum molar concentration at which no more than 15% cellular cytotoxicity was observed. All three nanoparticles differed in extent of induction of biological pathways corresponding to immune response signaling and metal ion homeostasis. In this study, we integrated gene and miRNA expression profiles from the same cells to propose miRNA biomarkers of adverse exposure to metal-based nanoparticles. We employed RNA sequencing together with a quantitative strategy that also enables analysis of the overlooked repertoire of length and sequence miRNA variants called isomiRs. Whilst only modest changes in expression were observed within the first 6 h of exposure, the miRNA/isomiR (miR) profiles of each nanoparticle were unique. Via canonical correlation and pathway enrichment analyses, we identified a co-regulated miR-mRNA cluster, predicted to be highly relevant for cellular response to metal ion homeostasis. These miRs were annotated to be canonical or variant isoforms of hsa-miR-142-5p, -342-3p, -5100, -6087, -6894-3p, and -7704. Hsa-miR-5100 was differentially expressed in response to each nanoparticle in both the 6 h and 24 h exposures. Taken together, this co-regulated miR-mRNA cluster could represent potential biomarkers of sub-toxic metal-based nanoparticle exposure.

Nano-sized zinc oxide and silver, but not titanium dioxide, induce innate and adaptive immunity and antiviral response in differentiated THP-1 cells.

Nano-sized metal oxides are currently the most manufactured nanomaterials (NMs), and are increasingly used in consumer products. Recent exposure data reveal a genuine potential for adverse health outcomes for a vast array of NMs, however the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. To elucidate size-related molecular effects, differentiated THP-1 cells were exposed to nano-sized materials (n-TiO2, n-ZnO and n-Ag), or their bulk-sized (b-ZnO and b-TiO2) or ionic (i-Ag) counterparts, and genome-wide gene expression changes were studied at low-toxic concentrations (<15% cytotoxicity). TiO2 materials were nontoxic in MTT assay, inducing only minor transcriptional changes. ZnO and Ag elicited dose-dependent cytotoxicity, wherein ionic and particulate effects were synergistic with respect to n-ZnO-induced cytotoxicity. In gene expression analyzes, 6 h and 24 h samples formed two separate hierarchical clusters. N-ZnO and n-Ag shared only 3.1% and 24.6% differentially expressed genes (DEGs) when compared to corresponding control. All particles, except TiO2, activated various metallothioneins. At 6 h, n-Zn, b-Zn and n-Ag induced various immunity related genes associating to pattern recognition (including toll-like receptor), macrophage maturation, inflammatory response (TNF and IL-1beta), chemotaxis (CXCL8) and leucocyte migration (CXCL2-3 and CXCL14). After 24 h exposure, especially n-Ag induced the expression of genes related to virus recognition and type I interferon responses. These results strongly suggest that in addition to ionic effects mediated by metallothioneins, n-Zn and n-Ag induce expression of genes involved in several innate and adaptive immunity associated pathways, which are known to play crucial role in immuno-regulation. This raises the concern of safe use of metal oxide and metal nanoparticle products, and their biological effects.