Contact: Professor Yuri Volkov
yvolkov@tcd.ie
353-863-732-946
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin scientists establish link between autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and nanoparticles
Dublin, June 11th, 2012 − New groundbreaking research by
scientists at Trinity College Dublin has found that exposure to
nanoparticles can have a serious impact on health, linking it to
rheumatoid arthritis and the development of other serious autoimmune
diseases. The findings that have been recently published in the
international journal 'Nanomedicine' have health and safety
implications for the manufacture, use and ultimate disposal of
nanotechnology products and materials. They also identified new
cellular targets for the development of potential drug therapies in
combating the development of autoimmune diseases.
Environmental pollution including carbon particles emitted by car
exhaust, smoking and long term inhalation of dust of various origins
have been recognised as risk factors causing chronic inflammation of the
lungs. The link between smoking and autoimmune diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis has also been established. This new research now
raises serious concerns in relation to similar risks caused by
nanotechnology products which if not handled appropriately may
contribute to the generation of new types of airborne pollutants causing
risks to global health.
In their research, the Nanomedicine and Molecular Imaging team at
Trinity College Dublin's School of Medicine led by Professor of
Molecular Medicine, Yuri Volkov investigated whether there was a common
underlying mechanism contributing to the development of autoimmune
diseases in human cells following their exposure to a wide range of
nanoparticles containing different physical and chemical properties.
The scientists applied a wide range of nanomaterials including
ultrafine carbon black, carbon nanotubes and silicon dioxide particles
of different sizes, ranging from 20 to 400 nanometres, to human cells
derived from the lining of the airway passages, and to the cells of
so-called phagocytic origin − those cells that are most frequently
exposed to the inhaled foreign particles or are tasked with cleaning up
our body from them. At the same time, collaborating researchers from the
Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational
Safety & Health (Morgantown, WV, USA) have conducted the studies in
mice exposed to chronic inhalation of air contaminated with single
walled carbon nanotubes.
The result was clear and convincing: all types of nanoparticles
in both the TCD and US study were causing an identical response in human
cells and in the lungs of mice, manifesting in the specific
transformation of the amino acid arginine into the molecule called
citrulline which can lead to the development of autoimmune conditions
such as rheumatoid arthritis.
In the transformation to citrulline, human proteins which
incorporate this modified amino acid as building blocks, can no longer
function properly and are subject to destruction and elimination by the
bodily defence system. Once programmed to get rid of citrullinated
proteins, the immune system can start attacking its own tissues and
organs, thereby causing the autoimmune processes which may result in
rheumatoid arthritis.
Commenting on the significance of the findings, TCD's Professor
Volkov says: "The research establishes a clear link between autoimmune
diseases and nanoparticles. Preventing or interfering with the resulting
citrullination process looks therefore as a promising target for the
development of future preventative and therapeutic approaches in
rheumatoid arthritis and possibly other autoimmune conditions."
###
The paper's full title published in the '
Nanomedicine'
journal (Future Medicine journals group) is "Citrullination of
proteins: a common post-translational modification pathway induced by
different nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo"
http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/nnm.11.177
Stage
2 vapor recovery is a control technology located at individual gas
stations. The system involves capturing and controlling gasoline vapors
when a vehicle is being fueled at the pump. The system uses special
dispensing nozzles that collect the vapors and pump them back into the
storage tank below ground, instead of releasing them into the air.
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