What is the impact of Silicon Carbide nanoparticles to the mineral composition of rat lungs? A PIXE-μPIXE comparative study

O Lozano,J L Colaux,J M Dogné,J Laloy,S Lucas

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/617/1/012016

Abstract

The exposure to nanomaterials can yield changes in the mineral composition of tissues which may have long term health repercussions. In this study, the changes in mineral composition of rat lungs, exposed to a nanoaerosol of silicon carbide (SiC), has been studied by means of global and local ion beam probes with the Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique, measuring the whole lung contents and selected areas where SiC was found, respectively. It was found that from a global perspective there is a small decrease in the mineral contents (phosphorous, sulphur, chlorine and potassium) of the lung except for Ca, while locally these mineral contents tend fluctuate.

Highlights

Nanosafety and nanotoxicology studies focus mainly in the impact of nanomaterials (NMs) through the analysis of biomarkers and, when possible, the quantification of the NM dose within the target such as tissues or cells [1,2,3]
The mineral composition of rat lungs exposed to silicon carbide (SiC) was quantified by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) from two perspectives: using a broad beam (PIXE analysis) to quantify the lung overall mineral contents, and using a micro beam to quantify the lung mineral contents in areas around SiC deposition
The mineral concentration found in the rat lungs is presented in Table 1 for PIXE measurements and Table 2 for μPIXE measurements

Summary

Introduction

Nanosafety and nanotoxicology studies focus mainly in the impact of nanomaterials (NMs) through the analysis of biomarkers and, when possible, the quantification of the NM dose within the target such as tissues or cells [1,2,3]. In this study the impact of a SiC nanoaerosol on the composition of rat lungs is investigated. The mineral composition of rat lungs exposed to SiC was quantified by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) from two perspectives: using a broad beam (PIXE analysis) to quantify the lung overall mineral contents, and using a micro beam (μPIXE analysis) to quantify the lung mineral contents in areas around SiC deposition.

Results

Conclusion