Talc, a hydrous magnesium silicate, often used for genital hygiene purposes, is associated with ovarian carcinoma in case-control studies. Its potential to cause inflammation, injury, and functional changes in cells has been described. A complication of such studies is that talc preparations may be contaminated with other materials. A previous study by (Beck et al. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 87:222-34, 1987) used a hamster model to study talc and granite dust exposure effects on various biochemical and cellular inflammatory markers. Our current study accessed key materials used in that 1987 study; we re-analyzed the original talc dust with contemporary scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM/EDX) for contaminants. We also examined the original bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells with polarized light microscopy to quantify cell-associated birefringent particles to gain insight into the talc used. SEM/EDX analyses showed that asbestos fibers, quartz, and toxic metal particulates were below the limits of detection in the original talc powder. However, fibers with aspect ratios ≥3:1 accounted for 22% of instilled material, mostly as fibrous talc. Talc (based on Mg/Si atomic weight % ratio) was the most abundant chemical signature, and magnesium silicates with various other elements made up the remainder. BAL cell counts confirmed the presence of acute inflammation, which followed intratracheal instillation. Measurements of cell associated birefringent particles phagocytosis revealed significant differences among talc, granite, and control exposures with high initial uptake of talc compared to granite, but over the 14-day experiment, talc phagocytosis by lavaged cells was significantly less than that of granite. Phagocytosis of talc fibers by macrophages was observed, and birefringent particles were found in macrophages, neutrophils, and multinucleate giant cells in lavaged cells from talc-exposed animals. Our data support the contention that talc, even without asbestos and other known toxic contaminants, may elicit inflammation and contribute to lung disease. Our findings support the conclusions of (Beck et al. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 87:222-34, 1987) study. By analyzing particulate exposures with polarized light microscopy and SEM/EDX, fibrous talc was identified and a distinctive pattern of impaired particulate ingestion was demonstrated.

中文翻译：

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肺滑石暴露后仓鼠肺部颗粒的分析：对致病性的影响。

滑石粉是一种含水硅酸镁，通常用于生殖器卫生目的，在病例对照研究中与卵巢癌有关。已经描述了其引起细胞炎症，损伤和功能改变的潜力。这些研究的一个复杂之处在于，滑石粉制剂可能会被其他材料污染。（Beck等人，Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 87：222-34，1987）的先前研究使用仓鼠模型来研究滑石和花岗岩粉尘暴露对各种生化和细胞炎性标记物的影响。我们目前的研究采用了1987年研究中使用的关键材料。我们使用当代的扫描电子显微镜和能量色散X射线分析（SEM / EDX）对污染物进行了重新分析，以分析滑石粉尘。我们还用偏振光显微镜检查了原始支气管肺泡灌洗（BAL）细胞，以量化与细胞相关的双折射颗粒，从而深入了解所用的滑石粉。SEM / EDX分析表明，石棉纤维，石英和有毒金属微粒低于原始滑石粉的检测极限。但是，长径比≥3：1的纤维占滴注材料的22％，主要是滑石粉。滑石粉（基于Mg / Si原子重量％的比例）是最丰富的化学标记，其余成分为各种其他元素的硅酸镁。气管内滴注后，BAL细胞计数证实存在急性炎症。细胞相关双折射颗粒吞噬作用的测量结果表明，滑石，花岗岩，与花岗岩相比，滑石粉的初始摄取量高，但在14天的实验中，熔岩细胞对滑石粉的吞噬作用明显低于花岗岩。观察到巨噬细胞对滑石纤维的吞噬作用，并且在暴露于滑石的动物的灌洗细胞中的巨噬细胞，嗜中性粒细胞和多核巨细胞中发现了双折射颗粒。我们的数据支持这样的论点，即即使没有石棉和其他已知的有毒污染物，滑石粉也可能引起炎症并导致肺部疾病。我们的发现支持（Beck等人，Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 87：222-34，1987）研究的结论。通过使用偏光显微镜和SEM / EDX分析微粒暴露，可以识别出纤维滑石粉，并证明了微粒摄取受损的独特模式。