Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials are widespread in the atmospheric aerosol as a result of the combustion processes and their extensive industrial use. This has raised many question about the potential toxicity associated with the inhalation of such nanoparticles, and its incorporation into the lung surfactant layer. In order to shed light on the main physical bases underlying the incorporation of carbon nanomaterials into lung surfactant layers, this work has studied the interaction at the water/vapor interface of carbon nanosheets (CN) with Langmuir monolayers of 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), with this lipid being the main component of lung surfactant layers and responsible of some of the most relevant features of such film. The incorporation of CN into DPPC Langmuir monolayers modifies the lateral organization of the DPPC at the interface, which is explained on the basis of two different effects: (i) particles occupy part of the interfacial area, and (ii) impoverishment of the lipid composition of the interface due to lipid adsorption onto the CN surface. This results in a worsening of the mechanical performance of the monolayers which may present a negative impact in the physiological performance of lung surfactant. It would be expected that the results obtained here can be useful as a step toward the understanding of the most fundamental physico-chemical bases associated with the effect of inhaled particles in the respiratory cycle.
Highlights
Particulate materials are widespread in modern society, presenting interest in different scientific and industrial fields
The incorporation of carbon nanosheets (CN) into DPPC Langmuir monolayers modifies the lateral organization of the DPPC at the interface, which is explained on the basis of two different effects: (i) particles occupy part of the interfacial area, and (ii) impoverishment of the lipid composition of the interface due to lipid adsorption onto the CN surface
The analysis of the modification of the interfacial properties has been found to be dependent on the amount of particles, with particles affecting, in two different ways, the interfacial properties of lipid monolayers: (i) By decreasing the effective interfacial density of DPPC, and (ii) by reducing the area available for DPPC reorganization
Summary
Particulate materials are widespread in modern society, presenting interest in different scientific and industrial fields. Any dysfunction in the normal performance or composition of the lung surfactant layer can affect the normal respiratory process, and simultaneously facilitate the penetration of pathogens’ agents to other tissues [14] This is important because several studies have shown that particles can interact with fluid layers, altering their composition, lateral organization, and physico-chemical properties, especially the rheological one [15,16,17,18,19]. This study tries to help in the understanding of the impact of carbonaceous nanomaterials on the physico-chemical properties of lung surfactant models For this purpose, the interaction of carbon nanosheets (CN), as an example of graphene-like material, with DPPC Langmuir monolayers, has been studied on the basis of the modification of the two-dimensional (2D) phase diagram due to the incorporation of the CN and their impact in the rheological performance of DPPC layers. It is expected that the results contained may contribute to the understanding of the most fundamental physico-chemical bases that govern the impact of carbonaceous nanomaterials on the performance of lung surfactant layers
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