Ins and Outs in Environmental Safety Studies of Asthma and Engineered Nanomaterials

摘要

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 25 million of Americans suffer from asthma. The disease total annual cost is about $ 56 billion, and includes both direct and indirect costs of medications, hospital stays, missed work and decreased productivity. Air pollution with xenobiotics, bacterial agents, and industrial nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, contribute to exaggeration of this condition and are a point of particular attention in environmental toxicology as well as occupational health and safety research. Mast cell degranulation and activation of Th2 cells triggered either by allergen-specific IgE or alternative mechanisms, such as locally produced neurotransmitters, underlie the pathophysiological process of airway constriction during an asthma attack. Other immune and non-immune cell types, including basophils, eosinophils, Th1, Th17, Th9, macrophages, dendritic cells, and smooth muscle cells, are involved in the inflammatory and allergic responses during asthma, which under chronic conditions may progress without mast cells, the key trigger of the acute asthma attack. To decipher complex molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms, many researchers attempted to develop in vitro and in vivo models to study asthma. Herein, we summarize advantage and disadvantages of various models and their applicability to nanoparticle evaluation in asthma research. We further suggest that a framework of both in vitro and in vivo methods should be used to study the impact of engineered nanomaterials on asthma etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment.