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. 2015 Sep 28:10:6021-6.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S90382. eCollection 2015.

Nanoparticles of barium induce apoptosis in human phagocytes

Luana Mores  1 , Eduardo Luzia França  1 , Núbia Andrade Silva  1 , Eliane Aparecida Suchara  1 , Adenilda Cristina Honorio-França  1
Affiliations

Nanoparticles of barium induce apoptosis in human phagocytes

Luana Mores et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

Purpose: Nutrients and immunological factors of breast milk are essential for newborn growth and the development of their immune system, but this secretion can contain organic and inorganic toxins such as barium. Colostrum contamination with barium is an important issue to investigate because this naturally occurring element is also associated with human activity and industrial pollution. The study evaluated the administration of barium nanoparticles to colostrum, assessing the viability and functional activity of colostral mononuclear phagocytes.

Methods: Colostrum was collected from 24 clinically healthy women (aged 18-35 years). Cell viability, superoxide release, intracellular Ca(2+) release, and phagocyte apoptosis were analyzed in the samples.

Results: Treatment with barium lowered mononuclear phagocyte viability, increased superoxide release, and reduced intracellular calcium release. In addition, barium increased cell death by apoptosis.

Conclusion: These data suggest that nanoparticles of barium in colostrum are toxic to cells, showing the importance of avoiding exposure to this element.

Keywords: barium chloride; colostrum; immune cells; immunotoxicology; intracellular Ca2+.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Superoxide release by blood mononuclear phagocytes (mean ± SD, N=6 in each treatment). Notes: Colostral mononuclear cells were treated or not with barium. F=14.8023, P<0.0001. *Differences between phagocytes treated with or without barium. Abbreviations: MN, mononuclear; SD, standard deviation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Apoptosis of colostral MN phagocytes exposed to barium (1 ng/nL) and staurosporine (Sigma-Aldrich Co., St Louis, MO, USA) indicated by fluorescence intensity. Notes: Cells were stained with Annexin V-FITC (Sigma-Aldrich Co.). Immunofluorescence analyses were carried out by flow cytometry (FACScalibur; BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Barium chloride induces apoptosis in colostral MN phagocytes. Notes: Different types of cell death were assessed using flow cytometry with annexin V PI staining. The sum of the upper-right (Q3) and lower-right (Q2) quadrants represents total apoptosis percentage. The upper-left (Q4) quadrant is the percentage of necrosis and lower-left (Q1) quadrant corresponds to viable cells. Data represent one experiment. Abbreviations: MN, mononuclear; PI, propidium iodide.
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