Assessment of the Toxicity and Carcinogenicity of Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Rat Lung After Intratracheal Instillation: A Two-Year Study

Background Considering the expanding industrial applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), safety assessment of these materials is far less than needed. Very few long-term in vivo studies have been carried out. This is the first 2-year in vivo study to assess the effects of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) in the lung and pleura of rats after pulmonary exposure. Methods Rats were divided into six groups: Untreated, Vehicle, 3 DWCNT groups (0.12mg/rat, 0.25mg/rat and 0.5mg/rat), and MWCNT-7 (0.5mg/rat). The test materials were administrated by intratracheal - intrapulmonary spraying (TIPS) every other day for 15 days. Rats were observed without further treatment until sacrifice at weeks 52 and 104. Results DWCNT were biopersistent in the rat lung and induced marked pulmonary inflammation with a significant increase in macrophage count and levels of the chemotactic cytokines CCL2 and CCL3. In addition, the 0.5 mg DWCNT treated rats had significantly higher pulmonary collagen deposition compared to the vehicle controls. The development of carcinomas in the lungs of rats treated with 0.5 mg DWCNT (4/24) was not quite statistically higher (p = 0.0502) than the vehicle control group (0/25), however, the overall incidence of lung tumor development, bronchiolo-alveolar adenoma and bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma combined, in the lungs of rats treated with 0.5 mg DWCNT (7/24) was statistically higher (p < 0.05) than the vehicle control group (1/25). Notably, two of the rats treated with DWCNT, one in the 0.25 mg group and one in the 0.5mg group, developed pleural mesotheliomas. However, both of these lesions developed in the visceral pleura, and unlike the rats administered MWCNT-7, rats administered DWCNT did not have elevated levels of HMGB1 in their pleural lavage fluids. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that DWCNTs are biopersistent in the rat lung and induce chronic inflammation. Moreover, rats treated with 0.5 mg DWCNT developed pleural fibrosis. While our results do not show that DWCNT is carcinogenic in the rat lung, total tumor incidence was significantly increased in the 0.5 mg DWCNT group. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the possibility that at least some types of DWCNTs are fibrogenic and carcinogenic cannot be ignored.

1058. In Vitro and In Vivo Antibacterial Activity of Cefiderocol against Burkholderia spp

Background Burkholderia spp. is an opportunistic pathogen associated with respiratory infections. Cefiderocol (CFDC), a siderophore cephalosporin approved in US and EU, is active in vitro against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria including Burkholderia spp. This study examined in vitro and in vivo activity of CFDC against Burkholderia spp. Methods MICs of CFDC and 13 marketed antibacterial drugs against 462 clinical isolates of Burkholderia spp. collected in 2014 - 2019 in 13 countries were determined by broth microdilution method according to CLSI guidelines. Only for CFDC, iron-depleted CAMHB was used. In a rat lung infection model, B. cepacia ATCC 25416 (CFDC MIC: ≤ 0.031 μg/mL, MEM MIC: 4 μg/mL) was used. Male CD (SD, immunocompetent, n=4-5) rats were infected by intrabronchial inoculation of the bacterial suspension including 1% nutrient agar. The humanized PK in plasma by administration of CFDC 2 g every 8 h (3-h infusion) and MEM 1 g every 8 h (0.5-h infusion) were recreated via the continuous intravenous infusion for 4 days, and the viable cfu in lungs were counted. Results Against 462 strains, including 185 MEM non-susceptible isolates, CFDC showed MIC50/MIC90 of ≤ 0.031/1 µg/mL, which was the lowest among the tested antibiotics. Among 185 MEM non-susceptible isolates, 94% of the isolates exhibited ≤ 4 µg/mL of CFDC MIC. In a rat lung infection model, CFDC and MEM showed bactericidal activity with 2.8 and 2.4 log10 CFU/lung decrease compared with non-treated control, respectively. By recreating the humanized PK exposure in this model, 100% and ca.35% of fT &gt;MIC of CFDC and MEM in plasma has been achieved, respectively. The bactericidal activities of both compounds vs B. cepacia ATCC 25416 would be reasonable because the fT &gt;MIC achieved in this model exceeds the target fT &gt;MIC (75% for CFDC and 26% for MEM against Acinetobacter baumannii, respectively) required to cause 1 log10 reduction in murine thigh infection models1,2). 1) M. Sabet. 2019. AAC 2) R. Nakamura. 2019. AAC In vitro activity of CFDC and comparator agents against Burkholderia spp. Conclusion CFDC has potential for treating respiratory tract infections caused by Burkholderia spp. In critically ill patients, the recommended dosing regimen achieves 100% of fT &gt;MIC of ≤ 4 ug/mL3).3) N. Kawaguchi. 2021. AAC Disclosures Merime Oota, BSc, Shionogi TechnoAdvance Research & Co., Ltd. (Employee) Toriko Yoshitomi, -, Shionogi TechnoAdvance Research & Co., Ltd. (Employee) Rio Nakamura, BSc, Shionogi TechnoAdvance Research & Co., Ltd. (Employee) Miki Takemura, MS, SHIONOGI & CO., LTD. (Employee) Yoshinori Yamano, PhD, Shionogi (Employee) Meredith Hackel, PhD MPH, IHMA (Employee)Pfizer, Inc. (Independent Contractor) Daniel F. Sahm, PhD, IHMA (Employee)Pfizer, Inc. (Independent Contractor)

Hyperoxia-Exposed Lung Injury Upregulates DVL-1 Protein Expression And Activates Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Newborn Rat Lung

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a serious and lifelong pulmonary disease in premature neonates, which has an influence on a quarter of premature newborns. Wingless/integrated(Wnt)/β-catenin signaling pathway affects lung cell differentiation and lung tissue structure, and is abnormal activation in the lungs of rats with pulmonary fibrosis. Method: Newborn rats were subjected to hyperoxia-exposure, histopathological changes in lung tissues were evaluated through Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Dishevelled (DVL-1) and signaling pathways were detected through western blotting and real-time PCR. Results: Contrasting with the normoxic lungs, hyperoxia-exposed lungs demonstrated larger alveoli, less alveoli and thicker alveolar septa, and the number of alveoli reduced obviously, alveoli enlarged seriously in hyperoxia group. SOD activity was decreased (7 th day: P < 0.05; 14 th day: P < 0.01), and MDA was increased (7 th day: P < 0.05; 14 th day: P < 0.01) after hyperoxia exposure. Protein and mRNA expression levels of β-catenin, DVL-1, Ctnnbl1 and Cyclin D1 were upregulated by hyperoxia exposure on 7 th day( P < 0.01) and 14 th day( P < 0.01). Conclusion: We confirmed the positive role of DVL-1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in promoting BPD under hyperoxia conditions, and provided promising therapeutic targets in the future.

A Histological and Immunohistochemical Study on the Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Rat Lung Tissue

Background Nanoparticles (NPs) have unique and novel properties that lead to a diverse array of products with applications in diagnosis, drug delivery, food industry, paints, electronics, environmental cleanup, cosmetics and sunscreens. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are one of the most widely used engineered nanoparticles in consumer products. They are utilized in many commercial products including cosmetics, paints, textiles, and personal hygiene products. The study aimed to assess the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles administered Intranasal or intravenous on lung tissue. Materials & methods twenty-five male Wistar rats were divided into Group I; control group, group II (Intranasal administered group) group II (Intravenous administered group). The animals were injected with 4 mg/kg of ZnO NPs. Rat Lungs were processed for histological, immunohistochemical. Results ZnO NPs caused thickening of interalveolar septa. Mononuclear cells were seen infiltrating the interalveolar septa. Many dilated blood vessels exhibited focal disruption and focal thickening of their wall. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) immune reactivity was significantly increased. These findings increased mainly in the intranasal administered group when compared with the intravenous group. Conclusion ZnO NPs administration caused toxic effects on the histological structure of albino rat lung.

Histogenetic morphotypes of rats respiratory system at the stages of early and late fetogenesis

Aim. Morphological analysis of the deployment of histogenetic information of pulmonary parenchyma at the stages of late embryogenesis and fetogenesis in laboratory rats within the limits of the norm of reaction with verification according to morphometric criteria of individual morphotypes.Materials and methods. Comparative morphological study of histogenesis of endodermal derivatives of the lungs of rats at critical periods of intrauterine development – late embryogenesis (day 14 of gestation), and late fetogenesis (day 20 of gestation) was performed using morphometric identification of plane parameters and a complex of plane form factors of epithelial structures of the lung. Morphometric studies were carried out in the Morphometer program on semi-thin sections of the rat lung.Results. Two critical stages of histogenesis of entodermal beginnings of fetal lungs are described – pseudoglandular and canalicular. The options of discordance of individual development within the response norm are justified. The lungs of the fetus at the pseudoglandular stage and the canalicular stage show significant fluctuations in the plane values of the pulmonary parenchyma, the presence in different individuals of variants of the plane values of entodermal derivatives, which indicated individual morphotypes of the development of the rat lung. At the pseudoglandular stage, in fetus with type I, called “compact”, the total area of the tubular system and the total perimeter are significantly inferior (p<0.001) to the same indicators of the lung II morphotype, designated as “air”. The values of one tubule (the outer perimeter, its area, the dimensions of the X-projection and Y-projection, the length of the epithelial tubes) in type I, on the contrary, are significantly larger than in type II (p<0.01). Among form factors, reliable differences have elongation (FE), squareness (FQ) and equivalent radius (FR) (p<0.01), less significant compactness (FF) and roundness (FC) (p<0.05). The discordance of development is established by a number of reliable values at the stage of late fetogenesis: the area of the tubule (p<0.01), the area of the epithelium of the preacinar department (p<0.001), the value of the outer perimeter of the tubule, the length and, to a lesser extent, the width of the tubule (p<0.05) significantly exceed such type II indicators. In this regard, the dimensions of X- and Y-projections for type I are also increased (p<0.05).Conclusion. As a result of morphological studies, the development of entodermal derivatives of pulmonary parenchyma at the pseudoglandular stage (day 14 of gestation) and the canalicular stage (day 20 of gestation) in rat fetus was verified; morphometric criteria for assessing the histogenesis of entodermal parenchyma units at critical stages of development have been introduced; comparative analysis of morphometric indices of different individuals in gestation dynamics; individual variants of two morphotypes are objectified – “compact-I” and “air-II” in the process of histogenesis of the fetal lungs.