Biomaterial Database

Interactions of chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos with red blood cell membranes. Chrysotile binds to sialic acid. 1983

A R Brody, and G George, and L H Hill

Chrysotile and crocidolite are commonly used forms of asbestos. Hemolysis has been widely used as a test of membrane injury, and it has been shown previously that chrysotile causes rapid breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs), whereas crocidolite is only weakly hemolytic. A reasonable hypothesis set forth to explain the cytotoxic effects of chrysotile maintains that positively charged chrysotile fibers bind to negatively charged sialic acid residues on RBC membranes causing clustering of membrane proteins and increased cell permeability to Na and K ions. Our studies presented here provide two lines of evidence in direct support of this hypothesis. (a) Morphologic--Ultrastructural techniques showed that both chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos bind to and distort more than 85% of RBCs treated for 15 minutes. The distorting effects of chrysotile, but not crocidolite, were almost totally ablated by pretreating the cells with neuraminidase. In addition, gold-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin was used to label the distribution of sialic acid groups on RBC membranes. Pretreatment of the RBCs with chrysotile, but not crocidolite, reduced the number of gold-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin-labeled sites to less than 30% of the control level. (b) Biochemical--The thiobarbituric acid assay was used to determine the percentage of sialic acid that remained with the cell pellet after neuraminidase and/or asbestos treatment. Asbestos treatment alone caused no release of sialic acid from the cells. Neuraminidase treatment for 3.5 hours removed more than 80% of the sialic acid from cell surfaces. Chrysotile, but not crocidolite, asbestos prevented neuraminidase-mediated removal of sialic acid from RBCs. In addition, x-ray energy spectrometry of freeze-dried cells showed that RBCs distorted by chrysotile, but not by crocidolite, exhibited significant alterations in intracellular Na:K ratios. The morphologic and biochemical data strongly support the hypothesis that chrysotile asbestos binds to sialic acid groups on RBC membranes. Consequently, the sialic acid residues are redistributed on the surfaces of distorted cells which then are unable to maintain a normal Na:K balance with the surrounding medium.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008565	Membrane Proteins	Proteins which are found in membranes including cellular and intracellular membranes. They consist of two types, peripheral and integral proteins. They include most membrane-associated enzymes, antigenic proteins, transport proteins, and drug, hormone, and lectin receptors.	Cell Membrane Protein,Cell Membrane Proteins,Cell Surface Protein,Cell Surface Proteins,Integral Membrane Proteins,Membrane-Associated Protein,Surface Protein,Surface Proteins,Integral Membrane Protein,Membrane Protein,Membrane-Associated Proteins,Membrane Associated Protein,Membrane Associated Proteins,Membrane Protein, Cell,Membrane Protein, Integral,Membrane Proteins, Integral,Protein, Cell Membrane,Protein, Cell Surface,Protein, Integral Membrane,Protein, Membrane,Protein, Membrane-Associated,Protein, Surface,Proteins, Cell Membrane,Proteins, Cell Surface,Proteins, Integral Membrane,Proteins, Membrane,Proteins, Membrane-Associated,Proteins, Surface,Surface Protein, Cell
D009439	Neuraminidase	An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of alpha-2,3, alpha-2,6-, and alpha-2,8-glycosidic linkages (at a decreasing rate, respectively) of terminal sialic residues in oligosaccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, colominic acid, and synthetic substrate. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992)	Sialidase,Exo-alpha-Sialidase,N-Acylneuraminate Glycohydrolases,Oligosaccharide Sialidase,Exo alpha Sialidase,Glycohydrolases, N-Acylneuraminate,N Acylneuraminate Glycohydrolases,Sialidase, Oligosaccharide
D011188	Potassium	An element in the alkali group of metals with an atomic symbol K, atomic number 19, and atomic weight 39.10. It is the chief cation in the intracellular fluid of muscle and other cells. Potassium ion is a strong electrolyte that plays a significant role in the regulation of fluid volume and maintenance of the WATER-ELECTROLYTE BALANCE.
D004910	Erythrocyte Membrane	The semi-permeable outer structure of a red blood cell. It is known as a red cell 'ghost' after HEMOLYSIS.	Erythrocyte Ghost,Red Cell Cytoskeleton,Red Cell Ghost,Erythrocyte Cytoskeleton,Cytoskeleton, Erythrocyte,Cytoskeleton, Red Cell,Erythrocyte Cytoskeletons,Erythrocyte Ghosts,Erythrocyte Membranes,Ghost, Erythrocyte,Ghost, Red Cell,Membrane, Erythrocyte,Red Cell Cytoskeletons,Red Cell Ghosts
D004913	Erythrocytes, Abnormal	Oxygen-carrying RED BLOOD CELLS in mammalian blood that are abnormal in structure or function.	Abnormal Erythrocytes,Abnormal Erythrocyte,Erythrocyte, Abnormal
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001194	Asbestos	Asbestos. Fibrous incombustible mineral composed of magnesium and calcium silicates with or without other elements. It is relatively inert chemically and used in thermal insulation and fireproofing. Inhalation of dust causes asbestosis and later lung and gastrointestinal neoplasms.
D012794	Sialic Acids	A group of naturally occurring N-and O-acyl derivatives of the deoxyamino sugar neuraminic acid. They are ubiquitously distributed in many tissues.	N-Acetylneuraminic Acids,Acids, N-Acetylneuraminic,Acids, Sialic,N Acetylneuraminic Acids
D012822	Silicon Dioxide	Transparent, tasteless crystals found in nature as agate, amethyst, chalcedony, cristobalite, flint, sand, QUARTZ, and tridymite. The compound is insoluble in water or acids except hydrofluoric acid.	Silica,Aerosil,Aerosil 380,Cristobalite,Quso G-32,Quso G32,Tridymite,380, Aerosil,Dioxide, Silicon,G32, Quso,Quso G 32
D012964	Sodium	A member of the alkali group of metals. It has the atomic symbol Na, atomic number 11, and atomic weight 23.	Sodium Ion Level,Sodium-23,Ion Level, Sodium,Level, Sodium Ion,Sodium 23