Dr. Tobias Stöger's research group at Helmholtz Zentrum München is investigating the interaction between nanoparticles and lung cells.
Together with partners from the EU project "SmartNanoTox", the researchers have now discovered that for certain materials, the long-term inflammatory response of the lung to a single nanoparticle exposure can be attributed to two previously unknown key cellular events: firstly, a new quarantine process, i.e. the deposition of excreted particles coated with biological molecules on the cell surface; secondly, the so-called nanomaterial cycle, which determines the uptake and excretion of nanoparticles between different alveolar lung cell types.
The fact that the origin of these two key cellular events can now be precisely localized and quantitatively described was a breakthrough for the new method of predicting toxic reactions.
Using a small amount of in vitro measurement data in combination with in silico modeling, the scientists were able to predict the acute or chronic toxicity of nanoparticles and thus the course of inflammatory reactions in the lungs for 15 different materials. The ability to make such predictions represents a step towards "safe-by-design" with significant implications for the safety
safety, speed and cost efficiency in material development.
This study provides an alternative non-animal method that, combined with in silico modeling, is suitable for high-throughput testing.
Original publication
Kokot et al, 2020: Prediction of Chronic Inflammation for Inhaled Particles, the Impact of Material Cycling and Quarantining in the Lung Epithelium. Advanced Materials, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202070353
