Immunotoxicity of 3 Chemical Forms of Beryllium Following Inhalation Exposure

• Published in: International journal of toxicology 2011-10, Vol.30 (5), p.538-545
• Main Authors: Muller, Caroline, Salehi, Fariba, Mazer, Bruce, Bouchard, Michèle, Adam-Poupart, Ariane, Chevalier, Gaston, Truchon, Ginette, Lambert, Jean, Zayed, Joseph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Beryllium - chemistry; Beryllium - toxicity; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Inhalation Exposure; Interferon-gamma - analysis; Interleukin-12 - analysis; Lung - drug effects; Lung - pathology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Particle Size; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis
• ISSN: 1091-5818; 1092-874X
• DOI: 10.1177/1091581811413831

The toxicity of 3 chemical forms of beryllium (Be) was compared in this study. A total of 160 mice equally divided into 4 groups were exposed by inhalation (nose only) for 3 consecutive weeks, 5 d/week, 6 h/d. One group was used as control, while the 3 others were exposed to fine particles of Be metal, Be oxide (BeO), or Be aluminum (BeAl). Except for the controls, the target level of exposure was 250 μg/m3. In all, 35 mice/group were sacrificed 1 week postexposure and another 5 mice 3 weeks postexposure. The BeO group showed the highest lung Be concentration with higher interleukin 12 (IL-12) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels, while the Be group produced the most severe lung inflammation and higher tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and CD4+ T cells levels. Data suggested that Be and BeO apparently produced more pulmonary toxicity than BeAl. However, this conclusion is not definitive, because of different confounding factors such as particle sizes, specific surface area, and solubility.