Biomedical subjects

Saber M Hussain

Publications and source records attributed to Saber M Hussain.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Are diamond nanoparticles cytotoxic?

Finely divided carbon particles, including charcoal, lampblack, and diamond particles, have been used for ornamental and official tattoos since ancient times. With the recent development in nanoscience and nanotechnology, carbon-based nanomaterials (e.g., fullerenes, nanotubes, nanodiamonds) attract a great deal of interest. Owing to their low chemical reactivity and unique physical properties, nanodiamonds could be useful in a variety of biological applications such as carriers for drugs, genes, or proteins; novel imaging techniques; coatings for implantable materials; and biosensors and biomedical nanorobots. Therefore, it is essential to ascertain the possible hazards of nanodiamonds to humans and other biological systems. We have, for the first time, assessed the cytotoxicity of nanodiamonds ranging in size from 2 to 10 nm. Assays of cell viability such as mitochondrial function (MTT) and luminescent ATP production showed that nanodiamonds were not toxic to a variety of cell types. Furthermore, nanodiamonds did not produce significant reactive oxygen species. Cells can grow on nanodiamond-coated substrates without morphological changes compared to controls. These results suggest that nanodiamonds could be ideal for many biological applications in a diverse range of cell types.

Carbon↗

PubMed2006

The interaction of manganese nanoparticles with PC-12 cells induces dopamine depletion.

This investigation was designed to determine whether nano-sized manganese oxide (Mn-40 nm) particles would induce dopamine (DA) depletion in a cultured neuronal phenotype, PC-12 cells, similar to free ionic manganese (Mn(2+)). Cells were exposed to Mn-40 nm, Mn(2+) (acetate), or known cytotoxic silver nanoparticles (Ag-15 nm) for 24 h. Phase-contrast microscopy studies show that Mn-40 nm or Mn(2+) exposure did not greatly change morphology of PC-12 cells. However, Ag-15 nm and AgNO(3) produce cell shrinkage and irregular membrane borders compared to control cells. Further microscopic studies at higher resolution demonstrated that Mn-40 nm nanoparticles and agglomerates were effectively internalized by PC-12 cells. Mitochondrial reduction activity, a sensitive measure of particle and metal cytotoxicity, showed only moderate toxicity for Mn-40 nm compared to similar Ag-15 nm and Mn(2+) doses. Mn-40 nm and Mn(2+) dose dependently depleted DA and its metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), while Ag-15 nm only significantly reduced DA and DOPAC at concentrations of 50 mug/ml. Therefore, the DA depletion of Mn-40 nm was most similar to Mn(2+), which is known to induce concentration-dependent DA depletion. There was a significant increase (> 10-fold) in reactive oxygen species (ROS) with Mn-40 nm exposure, suggesting that increased ROS levels may participate in DA depletion. These results clearly demonstrate that nanoscale manganese can deplete DA, DOPAC, and HVA in a dose-dependent manner. Further study is required to evaluate the specific intracellular distribution of Mn-40 nm nanoparticles, metal dissolution rates in cells and cellular matrices, if DA depletion is induced in vivo, and the propensity of Mn nanoparticles to cross the blood-brain barrier or be selectively uptaken by nasal epithelium.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

PubMed2005

Integrating time-course microarray gene expression profiles with cytotoxicity for identification of biomarkers in primary rat hepatocytes exposed to cadmium.

MOTIVATION: DNA microarrays can provide information about the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously at the transcriptomic level, while conventional cell viability and cytotoxicity measurement methods provide information about the biological functions at the cellular level. Integrating these data at different levels provides a promising approach for evaluating or predicting how cells respond to chemical exposure. It is important to investigate the multi-scale biological system in a systematic way to better understand the gene regulation networks and signal transduction pathways involved in the cellular responses to environmental factors. RESULTS: Primary rat hepatocytes were exposed to cadmium acetate at 0, 1.25 and 2 microM. mRNA expression profiles at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h were measured using the Affymetrix RatTox U34 GeneChip arrays. Simultaneously, cytotoxicity was assessed by lactase dehydrogenase leakage assay. Gene expression profiles at different time points were used to evaluate cytotoxicity at subsequent time points using partial least squares, and it was found that gene expression profiles at 0 h had the best prediction accuracy for the cytotoxicity observed at 12 h. Some biomarkers whose expression profiles showed strong relationship with cytotoxicity were identified and the underlying pathways were reconstructed to illustrate how hepatocytes respond to cadmium exposure. Permutation studies were also applied to assess the reliability of the predictive models. AVAILABILITY: Matlab source code is available upon request and DNA microarray data are available at GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo).

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Involvement of apoptosis in hydrazine induced toxicity in rat primary hepatocytes.

The current study was undertaken to investigate the role of apoptosis in hydrazine induced hepatotoxicity. Hepatocytes were exposed to hydrazinium nitrate (HzN) at two doses (50 and 75 mM) for 2 h then placed in fresh HzN-free media and cultured for an additional 24 h. Post-exposure, cell viability was evaluated at several time points by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction. Markers of apoptosis (mitochondrial membrane potential, annexin binding, DNA fragmentation, caspase activation, and cytochrome c release) were measured 24 h post-exposure. The viability data showed time dependent increase in LDH leakage at 75 mM of HzN, with only a slight increase at 50 mM. MTT reduction showed a decrease in mitochondrial activity at both doses immediately after the 2 h continuous exposure. However, MTT reduction returned to normal at 50 mM while at 75 mM, MTT reduction initially recovered but then deteriorated to approximately 50% of controls at 24 h post-exposure. Based on viability data, exposure to 50 mM HzN for 2 h is a marginally toxic dose while 75 mM is a significantly toxic dose. The results for apoptosis biomarkers showed a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, an increase in annexin binding, an increase in total caspase activity, moderate activation of caspase-3, and release of cytochrome c. However, the appearance of DNA fragmentation in HzN exposed cells was very low compared to positive controls (cadmium and cyclosporine). The possibility that HzN induces apoptosis without the involvement of DNA fragmentation can not be ruled out. The present results, overall, suggest that apoptosis may be a contributing factor in acute HzN toxicity.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Risk assessment of high-energy chemicals by in vitro toxicity screening and quantitative structure-activity relationships.

Hydrazine propellants pose a substantial operational concern to the U.S. Air Force and to the aerospace industry because of their toxicity. In our continuing efforts to develop methods for the prediction of the toxicological response to such materials, we have measured in vitro toxicity endpoints for a series of high-energy chemicals (HECs) that were recently proposed as propellants. The HECs considered are structurally diverse and can be classified into four chemical types (hydrazine-based, amino-based, triazoles, and a quaternary ammonium salt), although most are hydrazine derivatives. We measured the following endpoints in primary cultures of isolated rat hepatocytes: mitochondrial function (MTT), lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH), generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and total glutathione content (GSH). In several instances, effective concentrations (EC) were indeterminate, and only lower limits to the measured endpoints could be ascertained. Using molecular descriptors calculated with a semiempirical molecular orbital method, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) were derived for MTT (EC25) and for GSH (EC50). Correlation coefficients for 2- and 3-parameter QSARs of about 0.9 enable us to predict the toxicity for similar compounds. Furthermore, except in one case, predicted EC values for the uncertain endpoints were consistent with experiment. Descriptors comprising the QSARs for MTT were consistent with the biophysical mechanism of toxic response found experimentally for hydrazine derivatives. Application of our derived QSARs will assist in predicting toxicity for newly proposed propellants.

Aircraft↗

PubMed2002

Cellular toxicity of hydrazine in primary rat hepatocytes.

Hydrazine (HzN) is an aircraft fuel and propellant used by the U.S. Air Force. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the acute toxicity of HzN in primary rat hepatocytes in vitro with reference to oxidative stress. The effects of short-term exposure (4 h) of hepatocytes to HzN were investigated with reference to viability, mitochondrial function, and biomarkers of oxidative stress. The viability data showed an increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage and a decrease in mitochondrial activity with increasing concentration of HzN. The results of studies of oxidative stress biomarkers showed a depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) and an increase in oxidized GSH, increased reactive oxygen species generation, lipid peroxidation, and reduced catalase activity. Furthermore, depletion of GSH and catalase activity in hepatocytes by buthionine sulfoximine and 3-amino triazole, respectively, prior to exposure to HzN, increased its toxicity. The results suggest that acute HzN-induced cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes is likely to be mediated through oxidative stress.

Animals↗