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Hydroxyl Radical Formation in Aqueous Suspensions of Fresh Quartz

Public Domain


Details

  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Silicosis, a disease of historical importance, continues to occur today as a major health hazard in the mineral and metal mining industries. It is important to find new clues to the biochemical mechanism as new concepts of biology and chemistry evolve. It is generally agreed that the interaction of quartz particles with a membrane is the starting point of the silicotic process. We hypothesized that the mechanism of membrane damage by quartz might involve oxygenated free radicals and in particular the hydroxyl (·OH) radicals. The ·OH radicals are known to be capable of lipid peroxidation by abstracting hydrogen· atoms from cell-membrane lipids. We studied the formation of ·OH radicals in aqueous suspensions of quartz particles using well-established electron spin resonance (ESR) technique with the aid of spin trap methodology. Conclusive evidence was obtained by this technique for the formation of ·OH radicals in aqueous suspensions of freshly crushed quartz. The amount of ·OH radicals formed was proportional to the extent of grinding. Moreover, the ·OH generation potential of the freshly ground quartz decreased on storage in air, with an approximate half-life of about 20 hours, thus implying a much higher fibrogenic potential for freshly broken quartz particles, as compared to that of the same sample when aged in air or other environments. Another significant result was that the ·OH radical generation could be quenched via addition of catalase, DMTU, ethanol and other radical scavengers. Thus the higher oxidative potential of freshly crushed quartz particles and its sensitivity to the environment should be taken into consideration in the future in vitro and in vivo studies of quartz-cell interactions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Publisher:
    N.A.T.O. (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Genre:
    Abstract or Summary
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Division:
    DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    32
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20059124
  • Citation:
    Fourth International Workshop on Effects of Mineral Dusts on Cells, September 21-23, 1988, Orford, Quebec, Canada. Brussels, Belgium: N.A.T.O. (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), 1988 Sep; :32
  • CAS Registry Number:
    Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    1988
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Source Full Name:
    Fourth International Workshop on Effects of Mineral Dusts on Cells, September 21-23, 1988, Orford, Quebec, Canada
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:7af14f330b94970416fc5cbaef82914d8d870ff7226ce35fe761ac2f0bf4fbabcfc0474eeeee209417bc1e399506d070259701deb2b8e1775d14dc026e4dc95a
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 224.79 KB ]
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