Suchergebnisse

We investigated the role of the gold nanoparticles functionalized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP–AuNPs) on the innate immune response against an acute infection caused by Vibrio anguillarum in an in vitro immunological nonmammalian next-generation model, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. To profile the immunomodulatory function of PVP–AuNPs (0.1 μg mL) in sea urchin immune cells stimulated by Vibrio (10 μg mL) for 3 h, we focused on the baseline immunological state of the donor, and we analysed the topography, cellular metabolism, and expression of human cell surface antigens of the exposed cells, as well as the signalling leading the interaction between PVP–AuNPs and the Vibrio-stimulated cells. PVP–AuNPs are not able to silence the inflammatory signalling (TLR4/p38MAPK/NF-κB signalling) that involves the whole population of P. lividus immune cells exposed to Vibrio. However, our findings emphasise the ability of PVP–AuNPs to stimulate a subset of rare cells (defined here as Group 3) that express CD45 and CD14 antigens on their surface, which are known to be involved in immune cell maturation and macrophage activation in humans. Our evidence on how PVP–AuNPs may stimulate sea urchin immune cells represents an important starting point for planning new research work on the topic. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (No. 671881).

Cèl·lules immunitàries d'eriçó de mar infectades; Nanointeracció; Quiescència i activació immune ; Células inmunes de erizo de mar infectadas; Nanointeracción; Quiescencia y activación inmune ; Infected sea urchin immune cells; Inanointeraction; Quiescence and immune activation ; We investigated the role of the gold nanoparticles functionalized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP–AuNPs) on the innate immune response against an acute infection caused by Vibrio anguillarum in an in vitro immunological nonmammalian next-generation model, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. To profile the immunomodulatory function of PVP–AuNPs (0.1 μg mL−1) in sea urchin immune cells stimulated by Vibrio (10 μg mL−1) for 3 h, we focused on the baseline immunological state of the donor, and we analysed the topography, cellular metabolism, and expression of human cell surface antigens of the exposed cells, as well as the signalling leading the interaction between PVP–AuNPs and the Vibrio-stimulated cells. PVP–AuNPs are not able to silence the inflammatory signalling (TLR4/p38MAPK/NF-κB signalling) that involves the whole population of P. lividus immune cells exposed to Vibrio. However, our findings emphasise the ability of PVP–AuNPs to stimulate a subset of rare cells (defined here as Group 3) that express CD45 and CD14 antigens on their surface, which are known to be involved in immune cell maturation and macrophage activation in humans. Our evidence on how PVP–AuNPs may stimulate sea urchin immune cells represents an important starting point for planning new research work on the topic. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (No. 671881).

The global economic success of man-made nanoscale materials has led to a higher production rate and diversification of emission sources in the environment. For these reasons, novel nanosafety approaches to assess the environmental impact of engineered nanomaterials are required. While studying the potential toxicity of metal nanoparticles (NPs), we realized that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have a growth-promoting rather than a stress-inducing effect. In this study we established stable short-and long-term exposition systems for testing plant responses to NPs. Exposure of plants to moderate concentrations of AuNPs resulted in enhanced growth of the plants with longer primary roots, more and longer lateral roots and increased rosette diameter, and reduced oxidative stress responses elicited by the immune-stimulatory PAMP flg22. Our data did not reveal any detri-mental effects of AuNPs on plants but clearly showed positive effects on growth, presumably by their protective influence on oxidative stress responses. Differential transcriptomics and proteomics analyses revealed that oxidative stress responses are downregulated whereas growth-promoting genes/proteins are upregulated. These omics datasets after AuNP exposure can now be exploited to study the underlying molecular mechanisms of AuNP-induced growth-promotion. ; This research received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement PANDORA, no. 671881.

Abstract
The production of paints, coatings and construction materials may generate nanoparticles (NP) with potential adverse health effects. We carried out a study aimed at investigating exposure biomarkers reflecting the internal dose of inhaled particles and NP. NTA was used to quantify particle number concentration and size in EBC collected at the end of shift in 81 workers employed in companies producing technological materials. External exposure was characterized in terms of particle number concentration, size and lung deposited surface area (LDSA) in the near operational field by using a set of DiSCmini. Three subgroups were identified: Low-Exposure (LE, n=30), High-Exposure (HE n=35), and non-occupationally exposed (UC, n=16). Comparisons between groups were made using non-parametric analyses. LE and HE workers showed significantly higher number of NP in EBC (p=0.024, p=0.041, respectively) as compared to UC. The HE groups showed higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as IL-1β and IL-10 as compared to LE and UC (p=0.02, p<0.01, respectively). Positive correlations were observed between particle number concentration recorded by DiscMini and NTA data (Rho=0,225, p=0.04) and between the NTA and IL-10 and IL-1β (Rho=0.246, p=0.012; Rho=0.223, p=0.022, respectively). In contrast, LDSA did not correlate with NTA data. These findings provide evidence of the relationship between increasing exposure to NP and the burden of particles in the airways which, in turn, results in sustained inflammation. Given the lack of exposure biomarkers for dusts, these results are promising to investigate the relationship between internal dose of particles and changes in lung pathobiology.

Dendritic cells (DCs) shape immune responses by influencing T-cell activation. Thus, they are considered both an interesting model for studying nano-immune interactions and a promising target for nano-based biomedical applications. However, the accentuated ability of nanoparticles (NPs) to interact with biomolecules may have an impact on DC function that poses an unexpected risk of unbalanced immune reactions. Here, we investigated the potential effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on DC function and the consequences for effector and memory T-cell responses in the presence of the microbial inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Overall, we found that, in the absence of LPS, none of the tested NPs induced a DC response. However, whereas 4-, 8-, and 11 nm AuNPs did not modulate LPS-dependent immune responses, 26 nm AuNPs shifted the phenotype of LPS-activated DCs toward a tolerogenic state, characterized by downregulation of CD86, IL-12 and IL-27, upregulation of ILT3, and induction of class E compartments. Moreover, this DC phenotype was less proficient in promoting Th1 activation and central memory T-cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings support the perception that AuNPs are safe under homeostatic conditions; however, particular care should be taken in patients experiencing a current infection or disorders of the immune system. ; This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020, Research and Innovation program (European Training Network PANDORA) [grant number 671881] and by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [grant number W01213], County of Salzburg, Cancer Cluster Salzburg [grant number 20102-P1601064-FPR01-2017].