SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Tungsten”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1990

Time course and distribution of tungsten-laden macrophages in the hilar lymph nodes of the dog lung after experimental instillation of calcium tungstate into the left apical bronchus.

We sprayed a tungsten powder (CaWO4) into the airway of a single lobe (left apical) of the dog lung in order to study: (a) the kinetics of particle translocation from the bronchoalveolar lining to hilar lymph nodes, and (b) the sorting in lung lymph nodes of inhaled microcrystals. We found that the transport of the tungsten particles to the regional lymph node takes at least 24 hours and reaches its peak at day 7. In situ detection of tungsten by elemental particle analysis of lymph node sections by scanning electron microscopy allowed precise mapping of the marker in the node; the method was complemented by light microscopy and thin-section electron microscopy of the same nodes. Virtually all of the lymph node tungsten was located inside macrophages. The first tungsten-positive macrophages seen in the regional lymph nodes (day 1 to day 3) were restricted to the subcapsular space. This was followed by massive filling of the same sinus and of the narrow interfollicular areas by the particle-laden macrophages (day 3 to day 7). The even distribution of the tungsten-bearing phagocytes found in these anatomical regions of the node indicated that the subcapsular area in the dog was a continuous domain rather than the segmented region observed in nodes of common laboratory animals such as the rat. By day 7 after tungsten instillation, a moderate number of tungsten-positive macrophages was also detected in the paracortical region of the node. Finally, the presence of tungsten-bearing macrophages was extended to the outer lymph node medulla (day 7 to day 14); here, the macrophages were located in association with cords of plasmacytes and showed interdigitations with these lymphocytes. Only minimal amounts of tungsten were detected inside lymphoid follicles in association with dendritic cells. Some of the tungsten initially deposited in the airway of the apical left lung lobe was detected in contralateral hilar lymph nodes. We conclude that: (i) particle translocation from the alveolus to regional lymph nodes is a slow process that is mediated by pulmonary macrophages, in agreement with the findings of Harmsen et al Science 230:1277, 1985); (ii) in the lymph node, particle-bearing macrophages are sorted through narrow interfollicular sinuses into the outer medulla where they interact extensively with plasma cells; (iii) the migrating macrophages cannot penetrate the follicular domains of the node; minute quantities of exogenous particles may, nevertheless, be transferred from macrophages to follicular dendritic cells; and (iv) contralateral drainage may be a feature of the lymphatic system in the lung.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Comparative study of the acute lung toxicity of pure cobalt powder and cobalt-tungsten carbide mixture in rat.

Alveolitis progressing to lung fibrosis has been reported in workers exposed to cobalt containing dust (e.g., tungsten carbide-cobalt mixture as produced by the hard metal industry) but rarely following exposure to pure cobalt dust (e.g., in cobalt-producing factories). We have previously demonstrated that tungsten carbide-cobalt mixture is more toxic toward rat alveolar macrophages in vitro than pure cobalt metal powder. The present study was undertaken to compare in female rats the acute pulmonary response (lung weight, lung histology, cellular and biochemical analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and mortality) following the intratracheal instillation of pure cobalt (Co) particles (median particle size, d50:4 microns), pure tungsten carbide (WC) particles (d50:2 microns), tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) powder (d50:2 microns; cobalt 6.3%, tungsten 84%, carbon 5.4%) and crystalline silica (d50 less than 5 micron) used as pneumotoxic reference material. WC alone (15.67 mg/100 g body wt) behaves as an inert dust producing only a mild accumulation of macrophages in the alveolar duct walls. Co alone (1.0 mg/100 g) only causes a moderate inflammatory response. An identical amount of Co given as WC-Co mixture (16.67 mg/100 g; corresponding to 1.0 mg Co/100 g) produces a severe alveolitis and fatal pulmonary edema. Cellular and biochemical characteristics of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected 24 hr after the intratracheal instillation of WC (1.0 mg/100 g) or Co (0.06 mg/100 g) are not significantly different from those of control animals instilled with sterile saline. On the contrary, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid changes following administration of the WC-Co mixture (1.0 mg/100 g; corresponding to 0.06 mg Co/100 g) are very similar to those induced by crystalline silica (1.0 mg/100 g). The amount of cobalt excreted in urine is significantly higher when the animals are exposed to WC-Co powder as compared to an equivalent amount of pure cobalt particles, suggesting an increased bioavailability of cobalt metal when combined with tungsten carbide. This study demonstrates that the acute lung toxicity of tungsten carbide-cobalt mixture is much higher than that of each individual component and may explain why lung fibrosis is rarely if ever induced by exposure to pure cobalt dust.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

A tungsten-supplemented diet delivered by transplacental and breast-feeding routes lowers intestinal xanthine oxidase activity and affords cytoprotection in ischemia-reperfusion injury to the small intestine.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury has been implicated as playing a major role in the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the newborn. A tungsten-supplemented molybdenum-free diet can reduce xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme activity in the intestine, which in turn reduces the generation of oxygen radicals after an ischemia-reperfusion insult. This study evaluated the ability of this diet to be effective by indirect means, ie, transplacental and breast-feeding routes. XO activity of the intestine was measured in three groups of CD-1 white rats: I, weanlings fed the tungsten diet or standard chow for 1 week; II, 1-day-old rat pups whose mothers were maintained on the tungsten or standard chow for 7 to 10 days prior to term; and III, rat pups at 1 and 3 weeks after birth whose lactating mothers were maintained on the tungsten or standard chow. Some animals from group III also underwent either a 30- or 60-minute episode of occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) to evaluate the protective effects of the diet. XO activity was significantly reduced in all groups receiving the tungsten diet (P less than .0001). Blinded histopathologic studies of the entire small bowel showed significantly less villar necrosis (P less than .05) and fibrosis (P less than .0001) in the tungsten-treated group than in the controls. In the 60-minute occlusion study all tungsten-group animals survived, whereas 7 of 12 in the control group died of intestinal infarction within 24 hours (P less than .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1978

Cemented tungsten carbide pneumoconiosis.

An autopsy case of cemented tungsten carbide pneumoconiosis, the first lethal case in our country, is presented. A 28-year-old woman, who had been engaged in grinding presintered metallic matrix for four years, developed respiratory symptoms. X-ray examinations were indicative of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Corticosteroid therapy revealed only little effect. She expired five years after the onset of the symptoms. Postmortem examination showed nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis resulting in marked lung fibrosis. Ultrastructurally, crystals were observed in cytoplasm of presumable macrophages in the fibrotic lung tissue. Electron probe microanalysis of the lung tissue showed the presence of tungsten and other constituents of tungsten carbide except for cobalt. Metal analysis demonstrated a large amount of tungsten in the lung. Cobalt was detected tenfold of the normal value in the bone. In pathogenesis of the pneumoconiosis in the cemented tungsten carbide workers, toxicity of cobalt is most suspectable, and in addition, individual susceptibility may be also important.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Sputter shadowing improved by using a tungsten target.

This work builds upon a previous paper (W. Colquhoun, 1984, J. Ultrastruct. Res. 87, 97) in which a sputter shadowing device was briefly described. The device allowed TEM specimens to be shadowed in a conventional sputter coater. Images obtained by sputter shadowing with a standard Au/Pd target were of good quality but were slightly inferior to the best that could be obtained by e--beam evaporation of tungsten. Here we show that construction and use of a tungsten target greatly improves the quality of the sputter shadowed deposit. Images of DNA and ribosomal subunits contrasted by sputter shadowing with tungsten are shown. The DNA images indicate that sputter shadowing with tungsten is a gentle contrasting technique. The sputter shadowed images of the 30 S ribosomal subunits show the major features of the particle revealed by evaporation shadowing using the most sophisticated of methods in that technology. Advantages of sputter shadowing are discussed and a rationale for the improved grain obtained by sputtering tungsten is suggested.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

PubMed1992

A molybdenum and a tungsten isoenzyme of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase in the thermophilic archaeon Methanobacterium wolfei.

We have recently reported that the thermophilic archaeon Methanobacterium wolfei contains two formylmethanofuran dehydrogenases, I and II. Formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase II, which is preferentially expressed in tungsten-grown cells, has been purified and shown to be a tungsten-iron-sulfur protein. We have now purified and characterized formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase I from molybdenum-grown cells and shown that it is a molybdenum-iron-sulfur protein. The purified enzyme, with a specific activity of 27 U/mg protein, was found to be composed of three subunits of apparent molecular mass 64 kDa, 51 kDa, and 31 kDa and to contain per mol 146-kDa molecule approximately 0.23 mol molybdenum, 0.46 mol molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide, and 6.6 mol non-heme iron but no tungsten (< 0.01 mol). The molybdenum enzyme differed from the tungsten enzyme (8 U/mg) in that it catalyzed the oxidation of N-furfurylformamide and formate and was inactivated by cyanide. The two enzymes also differed significantly in the pH optimum, in the apparent Km for the electron acceptor, and in the chromatographic behaviour. The molybdenum enzyme and the tungsten enzyme were similar, however, in that the N-terminal amino acid sequences determined for the alpha and beta subunits were identical up to residue 23, indicating that the two proteins are isoenzymes. The molybdenum enzyme, as isolated, was found to display an EPR signal derived from molybdenum as evidenced by isotope substitution.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1976

Electron paramagnetic resonance of the tungsten derivative of rat liver sulfite oxidase.

Sulfite oxidase purified from livers of tungsten-treated rats has been used for EPR studies of tungsten substituted at the molybdenum site of the enzyme in a fraction of the molecules. The EPR signal of W(V) in sulfite oxidase is quite similar to that of Mo(V) in its line shape and in its sensitivity to the presence of anions such as phosphate and fluoride. Hyperfine interaction with a dissociable proton is also observed in both signals. The pH-dependent alteration in line shape exhibited by the Mo(V) EPR signal of the rat liver enzyme. Incomplete reduction of the tungsten center at pH 9 is indicated by attenuated signal intensity at this pH. The W(V) signal has g values lower than those of the Mo(V) signal, has a much broader resonance envelope, and is much less readily saturated by increasing microwave power. Kinetic studies on the reduction of the heme and tungsten centers of sulfite oxidase have shown that reduction of de-molybdo forms of sulfite oxidase by sulfite is catalyzed by the residual traces of native molybdenum-containing molecules. Reduction is accomplished by electron transfer involving intermolecular heme-heme interaction. The W(V) signal is generated only after all the heme centers are reduced. The rate and extent of heme reduction at pH 9 are the same as at pH 7. Studies on the reoxidation of W(V) and reduced heme by O2 and by cytochrome c suggest that the cytochrome b5 of sulfite oxidase is the site of electron transfer to cytochrome c, whereas oxidase activity is the property of the molybdenum center. It appears that the tungsten center in sulfite oxidase is incapable of oxidizing sulfite.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed1991

Biological responses of isolated macrophages to cobalt metal and tungsten carbide-cobalt powders.

A previous study from this laboratory, using morphological and biochemical (LDH release) parameters, has shown that tungsten carbide-cobalt dust exhibits a greater cytotoxicity toward isolated macrophages than cobalt metal powder alone. The present study extends this comparison by examining additional biological parameters. Glucose uptake and superoxide anion production by isolated macrophages were significantly more depressed by the tungsten carbide-cobalt mixture (WC-Co) than by cobalt alone (Co) while pure tungsten carbide (WC) had no effect or even stimulated the cells. For glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and cell-associated plasminogen activator (PA) activities, no difference between Co and WC-Co dusts was observed. These observations add further evidence to our previous findings regarding the different biological reactivity of cobalt metal alone or mixed with tungsten carbide.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

The mechanism of action of molybdenum and tungsten upon collagen structures in vivo.

The effect of in vivo administration of molybdenum (as sodium molybdate) and tungsten (as sodium tungstate) was investigated in the skin of laboratory rats. It was proved that the amount of both bound molybdenum and tungsten in collagen is relatively small being 0.05 and 0.06 moles per mole respectively. Besides the fraction of firmly bound molybdenum and tungsten a much higher extractable pool of both these metals was found. It was also demonstrated that in vivo shadowing of collagen is caused by the fraction of loosely bound metals. On the other hand pronounced changes were shown in the mechanical properties of connective tissue after molybdate and tungstate administration. Surprisingly, the change in mechanical properties indicated a lower level of cross-linking after the administration of the investigated metals. It is therefore concluded that bitopical binding of molybdenum and tungsten in the collagen structure is unlikely. It also appears that the biological effect of these metals is due to the competition with copper and the interference with the physiological cross-linking reactions based on the partial blockade of lysyloxidase.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Properties of the tungsten-substituted molybdenum formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase from Methanobacterium wolfei.

In Methanobacterium wolfei two formylmethanofuran dehydrogenases are present, one of which is a molybdenum- and the other a tungsten enzyme. We report here that also the 'molybdenum' enzyme contained tungsten when the archaeon was grown on molybdenum-deprived medium supplemented with tungstate (1 microM). Unexpectedly the tungsten-substituted molybdenum enzyme was catalytically active and displayed a rhombic EPR signal which was attributed to tungsten by the characteristic 183W splitting.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1977

Some properties of formate dehydrogenase, accumulation and incorporation of 185W-tungsten into proteins of Clostridium formicoaceticum.

Formate dehydrogenase of Clostridium formicoaceticum used only methyl and benzyl viologen, but not NAD as electron acceptor. The S0.5 values were 0.9 X 10(-4) M for formate and 5.8 X 10(-3) M for methyl viologen. Using potassium phosphate buffer a pH-optimum of 7.9 was observed. The initial velocity of the formate dehydrogenase activity reached a maximum at 70 degrees C, whereas the activity was stable only up to 50 degrees C. The level of formate dehydrogenase in C. formicoaceticum was increased to its maximum when 10(-6) M selenite and 10(-7) M tungstate were added to a synthetic medium. Addition of molybdate instead of tungstate did not increase the level of formate dehydrogenase. 185W-tungsten was concentrated about 100-fold by C. formicoaceticum; molybdate had no major effect on the uptake of tungsten. 185W-tungsten was found almost exclusively in the soluble fluid and was predominantly recovered after chromatography in a protein of about 88000 molecular weight. Occasionally a labelled protein of low molecular weight was observed. Again molybdate added even in high molar excess did not influence the labelling pattern. No radioactivity peak could be obtained at the elution peak of formate dehydrogenase activity. The extreme instability of formate dehydrogenase prevented further purification.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1975

A tungsten electrode insulated by a concentric arrangement of glass-pipettes for iontophoresis.

A method is described by which electrolytically sharpened tungsten wires were coated with a coaxial assembly of 5-8 glass-capillaries. This glass coating provides good insulation and high rigidity of the tungsten electrodes. The glass pipettes were used for electrophoretic ejection of test substances and the tungsten electrode for extracellular recording of neuronal activity.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An improved simple tungsten microelectrode.

An improvement to tungsten-in-glass microelectrode has been made which requires to special skills. It involves the introduction of a gel solution into the glass micropipette which surrounds and binds the tungsten wire along its full length. A significant damping of microphonic effects is produced and a good fit between tungsten and glass near their tips becomes less critical for success. The electrode was found to be very stable over long recording sessions.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Control of cobalt exposures during wet process tungsten carbide grinding.

Pneumoconiosis has been reported in tungsten carbide manufacture; past studies have suggested that adverse cobalt exposures may occur from wet process tungsten carbide grinding. This study shows that wet process tungsten carbide grinding without local exhaust can cause adverse cobalt exposures. Controls are summarized.

Carbon↗

PubMed1992

A tungsten-containing active formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase in the thermophilic archaeon Methanobacterium wolfei.

Methanobacterium wolfei is a thermophilic methanogenic archaeon which requires tungsten or molybdenum for growth. We have found that the organism contains two formylmethanofuran dehydrogenases, one of which is a tungsten enzyme. Indirect evidence indicates that the other formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase is a molybdenum enzyme. The tungsten enzyme was purified and characterized. The native enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 130 kDa. SDS/PAGE revealed a composition of three subunits of apparent molecular mass 35, 51 and 64 kDa, the N-terminal amino acid sequences of two of which were determined. 0.3-0.4 mol tungsten/mol enzyme was found but no molybdenum. The pterin cofactor was identified as molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide. The purified enzyme exhibited a specific activity of 8.3 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1 and an apparent Km for formylmethanofuran and methylviologen of 13 microM and 0.4 mM, respectively. The optimum temperature for activity was 65 degrees C. At 40-60 degrees C, the rate increased with a Q10 of 1.9; the activation energy of the reaction was 45 kJ/mol. The enzyme was found to require potassium ions for thermostability. The oxygen-sensitive enzyme was not inactivated by cyanide.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1975

A comparison of x-ray spectra and outputs from molybdenum and tungsten targets.

The relative merits of tungsten and molybdenum targets for mammography have been the subject of much discussion. Therefore the spectra and outputs (at constant potential) from molybdenum and tungsten targets, interchangeable in the same tube, have been measured with a Ge(Li) detector and ion chamber respectively. All conditions apart from the target material were unaltered. The spectra have been corrected for the distortions produced by the detector. The effects of filtration on spectra and exposure rates have been calculated and are in agreement with measured values. The spectra and outputs from molybdenum and tungsten targets filtered by aluminium and molybdenum have been investigated and the results are discussed with reference to mammography and the radiography of specimens.

Electrons↗

PubMed1991

The extremely thermophilic eubacterium, Thermotoga maritima, contains a novel iron-hydrogenase whose cellular activity is dependent upon tungsten.

Thermotoga maritima is the most thermophilic eubacterium currently known and grows up to 90 degrees C by a fermentative metabolism in which H2, CO2, and organic acids are end products. It was shown that the production of H2 is catalyzed by a single hydrogenase located in the cytoplasm. The addition of tungsten to the growth medium was found to increase both the cellular concentration of the hydrogenase and its in vitro catalytic activity by up to 10-fold, but the purified enzyme did not contain tungsten. It is a homotetramer of Mr 280,000 and contains approximately 20 atoms of Fe and 18 atoms of acid-labile sulfide/monomer. Other transition metals, including nickel (and also selenium), were present in only trace amounts (less than 0.1 atoms/monomer). The hydrogenase was unstable at both 4 and 23 degrees C, even under anaerobic conditions, but no activity was lost in anaerobic buffer containing glycerol and dithiothreitol. Under these conditions the enzyme was also quite thermostable (t50% approximately 1 h at 90 degrees C) but extremely sensitive to irreversible inactivation by O2 (t50% approximately 10 s in air). The optimum pH ranges for H2 evolution and H2 oxidation were 8.6-9.5 and greater than or equal to 10.4, respectively, and the optimum temperature for catalytic activity was above 95 degrees C. In contrast to mesophilic Fe hydrogenases, the T. maritima enzyme had very low H2 evolution activity, did not use T. maritima ferredoxin as an electron donor for H2 evolution, was inhibited by acetylene but not by nitrite, and exhibited EPR signals typical of [2Fe-2S]1+ clusters. Moreover, the oxidized enzyme did not exhibit the rhombic EPR signal that is characteristic of the catalytic iron-sulfur cluster of mesophilic Fe hydrogenases. These data suggest that T. maritima hydrogenase has a different FeS site and/or mechanism for catalyzing H2 production. The potential role of tungsten in regulating the activity of this enzyme is discussed.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1990

Characterization of a tungsten-iron-sulfur protein exhibiting novel spectroscopic and redox properties from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus furiosus.

The archaebacterium, Pyrococcus furiosus, is a strict anaerobe that grows optimally at 100 degrees C by a fermentative-type metabolism in which H2 and CO2 are the only detectable products. Tungsten is known to stimulate the growth of this organism. A red-colored tungsten-containing protein (abbreviated RTP) that is redox-active and extremely thermostable has been purified. RTP is a monomer of Mr = 85,000 and contains approximately 6 iron, 1 tungsten, and 4 acid-labile sulfide atoms/molecule. Titrations using visible spectroscopy were consistent with the oxidation and reduction of the protein each requiring two electrons/molecule, suggesting that these metals and the sulfide are arranged in two redox active centers. P. furiosus ferredoxin served as an electron acceptor for the protein. Dithionite-reduced RTP exhibited a remarkable and complex EPR spectrum at 6 K with g values ranging from 1.3 to 10.0. This was shown to arise from the spin-coupling interaction of two paramagnetic centers. One (center A) has a S = 3/2 spin system (effective g values: gx = 3.33, gy = 4.75, and gz = 1.92, where D = 4.3 cm-1 and lambda = 0.135), whereas the EPR properties of the other (center B) could not be deduced. Nevertheless, theoretical analyses show how the redox properties of both centers may be determined using EPR spectroscopy. Their midpoint potentials (Em) at 20 degrees C and pH 8.0 are -410 mV (center A) and -500 mV (center B) with an effective potential for the spin coupled system (Em, A + B) of -505 mV. The Em values are dependent on temperature (delta Em/delta T = -2 mV/degrees C between 20 and 70 degrees C) and pH with pK alpha values of 8.0 (A) and approximately 8.5 (B). The Em values at 100 degrees C, the growth temperature, were estimated at -590, -650, and -660 mV for centers A, B, and A + B, respectively. These data indicate that RTP catalyzes a dehydrogenase-type reaction of extremely low potential, which involves the transfer of two protons and of two electrons, to and from two adjacent and interacting but nonidentical metal centers.

Archaea↗