Asbestos‐stimulated tumour necrosis factor release from alveolar macrophages depends on fibre length and opsonization

Abstract

Fibre length has been shown to be an important factor in the ability of respirable fibres to cause lung fibrosis and cancer. We have reported that a long sample of amosite asbestos is more carcinogenic and fibrogenic than a short sample of similar diameter. These amosite asbestos samples were studied with regard to their ability to stimulate the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF) from rat alveolar macrophages in vitro. The long fibre sample was found to stimulate substantially greater release of the cytokine than the short sample. Furthermore, on treatment of the fibres with rat immunoglobulin G (IgG), there was an increase in the ability of both the long and the short sample to stimulate TNF secretion, although the long sample retained by far the greatest activity. Coating of the fibres with a range of other proteins had no substantial effect on their ability to stimulate TNF secretion. Quartz and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) were included as control particles and the TNF-stimulating activity of quartz was notably increased by opsonization with IgG. TiO₂ showed a similar low activity to that of the short fibre sample of amosite but this again could be modestly increased by opsonization with IgG. The simulation of TNF release caused by treatment with immunoglobulin-opsonized long fibre amosite could be inhibited by treatment of the macrophages with the protein kinase C-inhibitor staurosporine. The study demonstrates a fibre length-related ability to stimulate cytokine secretion by alveolar macrophages, and its enhancement by opsonization with IgG. This is likely to be relevant to the relationship between fibre length and pathogenic potential to the lung.