A review of the fate of inhaled α-quartz in the lungs of rats.

A review of the fate of inhaled α-quartz in the lungs of rats. Inhal Toxicol. 2019 Apr 18;:1-10 Authors: Kawasaki H Abstract The distribution of dust particles within the lungs and their excretion are highly associated with their pulmonary toxicity. Literature was reviewed to discern pulmonary translocation pathways for inhaled α-quartz compared to those for inhaled TiO2. Accordingly, it was hypothesized α-quartz particles in the alveoli were phagocytized by alveolar macrophages but silica-containing macrophages remained in the alveoli for longer time in contrast to the rapid elimination from the alveoli seen for TiO2-containing macrophages. In addition, it was presumed that free silica particles are translocated in the interstitium, possibly through the cytoplasm of Type I epithelial cells, as observed with TiO2. Free silica particles are presumed to be phagocytized by interstitial macrophages soon after the particles penetrate the interstitium; these dust cells are then translocated to the ciliated airway regions in the lumen through bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT). The pulmonary retention half-time of dust particles in rats exposed to α-quartz is several times longer than that of rats exposed to TiO2, as long as the lung dust burden is ≈ 3 mg. The reduced pulmonary particle clearance ability in rats exposed to α-quartz aerosol is presumably attributed to the long-term retention of dust cells both in the alveoli...
Source: Inhalation Toxicology - Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Inhal Toxicol Source Type: research