AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Development of a Human Lung Co-Culture Model System for Hazard Identification of Aerosolized Particles
CHRISTIE SAYES, Seung-Hyun Cho, Quentin Malloy, Christopher West, Madhuri Singal, Danielle Vitale, RTI International
Abstract Number: 483 Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract There is a growing need for lung cell culture model systems to assess potential hazards associated with airborne particulate matter of various sizes and compositions. In vivo models for safety testing are being phased out due to increased social, financial, and time pressures. In vitro cell cultures have shown promise as surrogates in screening assays when multiple substances require preliminary information on toxicity. We present an exposure apparatus composed two of critical parts. The first part is an aerosol generator that delivers liquid and/or solid aerosols in the size range of 1–3 microns in diameter. The second part is a co-culture exposure system of upper respiratory tract mammalian cells including epithelial, macrophage, and dendritic cells. The aerosols used in the development of this apparatus include trimellitic anhydride (i.e. solid powder) and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (i.e. liquid droplet). Both aerosols have been shown to induce inflammation and/or cause irritation in the respiratory tract. This study focuses on comparing the cellular effects before and after aerosol exposure. Specific cytokine expressions of exposed cells compared to control cell populations are as follows: MIP-1 (increase by 50%), TNF-alpha (increase by 75%), and IL-1β (increase by 20%). The overarching goal is to develop a high-throughput co-culture screening system that could be used in conjunction with current in vivo test models.