Polystyrene nanoparticle trafficking across alveolar epithelium

Yacobi, Nazanin R.; DeMaio, Lucas; Xie, Jiansong; Hamm-Alvarez, Sarah F.; Borok, Zea; Kim, Kwang-Jin; Crandall, Edward D.

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2008.02.002

« Previous Next »Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 2 , Pages 139-145, June 2008

Polystyrene nanoparticle trafficking across alveolar epithelium

Nazanin R. Yacobi, MS
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California
- Will Rogers Institute, Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Corresponding author. Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
Lucas DeMaio, PhD
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California
- Will Rogers Institute, Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Jiansong Xie, MD, PhD
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California
Sarah F. Hamm-Alvarez, PhD
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California
Zea Borok, MD
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California
- Will Rogers Institute, Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Kwang-Jin Kim, PhD
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California
- Will Rogers Institute, Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Edward D. Crandall, PhD, MD
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California
- Will Rogers Institute, Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Received 13 December 2007; accepted 18 February 2008. published online 31 March 2008.

Abstract

We investigated trafficking of polystyrene nanoparticles (PNP; 20 and 100 nm; carboxylate, sulfate, or aldehyde-sulfate modified [negatively charged] and amidine-modified [positively charged]) across rat alveolar epithelial cell monolayers (RAECM). Apical-to-basolateral fluxes of nanoparticles were estimated as functions of apical PNP concentration ([PNP]) and temperature. Uptake of nanoparticles into RAECM was determined using confocal microscopy. Fluxes increased as charge density became less negative/more positive, with positively charged PNPs trafficking 20–40 times faster than highly negatively charged PNP of comparable size. Trafficking rates decreased with increasing PNP diameter. PNP fluxes tended to level off at high apical [PNP]. Fluxes at 4°C were significantly lower than those at 37°C. Confocal microscopy revealed nanoparticles localized to cell cytoplasm, whereas cell junctions and nuclei appeared free of PNP. These data indicate that (1) trafficking of PNP across RAECM is strongly influenced by charge density, size, and temperature, (2) PNP translocate primarily transcellularly, and (3) PNP translocation requires cellular energy.

Key words: Epithelial transport, Charge density, Primary culture, Particle translocation, Pneumocytes

To access this article, please choose from the options below

This work was supported in part by the Hastings Foundation, the Whittier Foundation, and research grants EY 11386, EY 17923, ES 07048, HL 38578, HL 38621, HL 38658, HL 62569, and HL 64365 from the National Institutes of Health and 0730280N from the American Heart Association. Crandall is Hastings Professor and Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Chair of Medicine.

PII: S1549-9634(08)00032-4

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2008.02.002

« Previous Next »Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 2 , Pages 139-145, June 2008

Access this article on SciVerse ScienceDirect