Effect of man-made and asbestos fibers on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell

通过检测人脐静脉内皮细胞表面血栓调节蛋白(TM)的活性和抗原水平，研究了青石棉纤维和人造矿物纤维(钛酸钾晶须和硫酸镁晶须)对人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVECs)促凝血系统的影响。低浓度青石棉纤维处理HUVECs 48h和72h后，其TM活性和TM抗原水平均显著高于未处理细胞，未见明显的细胞毒作用。钛酸钾晶须和硫酸镁晶须作用48h和72h后，HUVECs的TM活性和TM抗原水平均显著升高。统计分析表明，这些纤维处理48h和72h的HUVECs的TM活性和TM抗原水平的增加几乎是相同的，但超过1.25mug/ml的硫酸镁晶须处理24h对HUVECs的TM活性的促进作用略高于其他纤维(p&lt；0.05)。用青石棉或人造矿物纤维(MMMF)处理HUVECs后，细胞内[~3H]亮氨酸掺入增加，提示直接暴露于这些纤维的HUVECs的TM活性和TM抗原水平的增加可能不是单纯的抗凝活性的诱导，而是纤维对细胞的普遍损伤。

The potential influences of crocidolite asbestos fibers and man made mineral fibers (potassium titanate whisker and magnesium sulfate whisker) on a procoagulant system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were investigated by measuring the activity and antigen level of thrombomodulin (TM) on the cell surface. Statistically significant increases in both the TM activity and TM antigen level were observed on HUVECs treated with crocidolite asbestos fibers for 48h and 72h compared to untreated cells at low concentrations of the fibers which showed no sign of a cytotoxic effect on the cells. An extensive increase in both the TM activity and TM antigen level was also observed on HUVECs treated with potassium titanate whisker or magnesium sulfate whisker for 48h and 72h. A statistical analysis revealed that these fibers had almost the same effects on the increases in both TM activity and the TM antigen level of HUVECs treated with the fibers for 48 h and 72 h, but a treatment of magnesium sulfate whisker at more than 1.25 mu g/ml for 24h was slightly more effective in increasing TM activity on HUVECs compared to other fibers (p<0.05). The [3H] leucine incorporation in HUVECs increased when the cells were treated with crocidolite asbestos or man-made mineral fibers (MMMFs), indicating that the increases in TM activity and the TM antigen level on HUVECs directly exposed to those fibers may not reflect the sole induction of anticoagulant activities, but the general cell damage induced by the fibers.