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In vivo ingestion of heavy metal particles of Se, Hg and W by murine macrophages. A study using scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray microanalysis

ICBAS and UMIB, Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal, Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Thailand, duangrud{at}yahoo.com or duangrud{at}hotmail.com

Elisabete M Cunha

ICBAS and UMIB, Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

Suchart Upatham

Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Thailand

António Sousa Pereira

ICBAS and UMIB, Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

Maria João R Oliveira

ICBAS and UMIB, Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

Artur P Águas

ICBAS and UMIB, Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal, IBMC, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Porto, Portugal

Several heavy metals that are currently employed in industry may become polluters of work and natural environments. As particulate matter, heavy metals are suitable for entering the human body through the respiratory and digestive systems. They often end up inside phagocytes; the size of the microscopic particles modulates both their phagocytosis, and the physiology of macrophages. Here we have adopted an experimental model to investigate the ingestion of particles of three industrial heavy metals (Se, Hg, W) by murine peritoneal macrophages in vivo. The phagocytes were studied by scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray elemental microanalysis (SEM-XRM), a method that allows specific identification of Se, W and Hg in cells at high resolution. We found that Hg that was taken up by macrophages was organized into small, round particles (0.319 ^/ 0.14 mm). This was in contrast with the larger size of intracellular particles of Se (2.379 ^/ 1.84 mm) or W (1.759-1.34 mm). Ingested particles of Se and W, but not Hg, often caused bulging of the cell surface of macrophages. We conclude that particulate matters of Se, W and Hg are organized in particles of different size inside macrophages. This size difference is likely to be associated with distinct phlogistic activities of these heavy metals, Se and W causing a milder inflammatory reaction than Hg.

Key Words: cell membrane • peritoneal cells • phagocytes • ultrastructure

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