Abstract
BackgroundCopper oxide (CuO) nanomaterials are used in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. These materials can be hazardous, especially if they are inhaled. As a result, the pulmonary effects of CuO nanomaterials have been studied in healthy subjects but limited knowledge exists today about their effects on lungs with allergic airway inflammation (AAI). The objective of this study was to investigate how pristine CuO modulates allergic lung inflammation and whether surface modifications can influence its reactivity.CuO and its carboxylated (CuO COOH), methylaminated (CuO NH3) and PEGylated (CuO PEG) derivatives were administered here on four consecutive days via oropharyngeal aspiration in a mouse model of AAI. Standard genome-wide gene expression profiling as well as conventional histopathological and immunological methods were used to investigate the modulatory effects of the nanomaterials on both healthy and compromised immune system.ResultsOur data demonstrates that although CuO materials did not considerably influence hallmarks of allergic airway inflammation, the materials exacerbated the existing lung inflammation by eliciting dramatic pulmonary neutrophilia. Transcriptomic analysis showed that CuO, CuO COOH and CuO NH3 commonly enriched neutrophil-related biological processes, especially in healthy mice. In sharp contrast, CuO PEG had a significantly lower potential in triggering changes in lungs of healthy and allergic mice revealing that surface PEGylation suppresses the effects triggered by the pristine material.ConclusionsCuO as well as its functionalized forms worsen allergic airway inflammation by causing neutrophilia in the lungs, however, our results also show that surface PEGylation can be a promising approach for inhibiting the effects of pristine CuO. Our study provides information for health and safety assessment of modified CuO materials, and it can be useful in the development of nanomedical applications.
Highlights
Copper oxide (CuO) nanomaterials are used in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications
We focused on biological processes involved in the material-triggered responses and saw that 17 processes were commonly enriched by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) sets of CuO, CuO COOH and CuO NH3 in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS)-challenged mice
In this study, we evidenced that respiratory exposure to pristine or modified CuO materials does not dramatically influence classical signs of allergic airway inflammation, the materials worsen the condition by adding another inflammatory characteristic - pulmonary neutrophilia, to the already existing allergic condition
Summary
Copper oxide (CuO) nanomaterials are used in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. CuO nanomaterials are appealing due to their electrical, optical, magnetic and biocidal features, they are produced for variety of industrial and commercial applications, such as electronic chips, solar cells, lithium batteries, paints, processed wood and plastics [2,3,4]. Because of their antimicrobial properties, CuO nanomaterials are used or could be utilized in food packaging, wound dressings, skin products and textiles [2,3,4]. CuO ENM can be potentially used in nanomedicine as anticancer and bioimaging agents [5, 6]
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