Comparison of Cadmium Cytotoxicity in Human versus Rat Nasal Epithelial Cells In vitro

摘要

Quantitative extrapolation of toxicity data from animals to humans will allow more accurate assessments of human health risks. The overall objective of this investigation is to provide the tissue sensitivity data necessary to extrapolate quantitatively the toxic effects of inhaled particles from animals to humans. In the initial study, cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) toxicity for human and Fischer 344 rat nasal turbinate epithelial (NTE) cells was evaluated in vitro. The studies were unique in that both rat and human NTE cells were obtained from fresh, normal tissue. Methods were developed for isolating and culturing NTE cells from rat and human tissue using identical procedures, and for measuring the cellular nucleotides by HPLC. Changes in adenylate energy charge (EC) and nucleotide levels were used as toxicity endpoints. Cellular Cd levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and expressed as microgram Cd/microgram DNA. Using these methods, the cellular Cd dose and the toxic effect in each cell type were measured and compared.