《Nature》首都医大研究惹关注

　　

生物通报道，8月20日，首都医科大学的研究人员发表在《欧洲呼吸杂志》上的临床研究文章引发科学家们的热议，该文章首次记录纳米颗粒导致人类疾病的理论学说。最近Nature杂志在线发表了一篇社论文章关注此事。

 

事件背景

据SciDev消息，7位女工在中国的一个印刷厂中工作之后发病，其中两人后来死亡。所有的症状表明了她们的免疫系统无法从肺部清除外来物，而且在肺的内部有大量液体。

 

首都医大的研究者说这些女工吸入了把覆盖有塑料糊的聚苯乙烯板加热到高温产生的烟尘。她们的车间没有正常的排风系统，而且她们只是偶尔佩戴口罩。在这些女工的肺部、塑料糊和车间破损的通风道内发现了大约30纳米的颗粒。

 

该研究的第一作者、北京朝阳医院的临床毒物学家Yuguo Song说：很明显，该病不是由于微颗粒或水气，因为肺上皮细胞充满了纳米颗粒。”

 

惹争议

尽管一些人说这些症状“类似于”在接触纳米颗粒的动物身上观察到的症状，其他人对纳米颗粒的作用表示怀疑。

 

英国阿伯丁大学环境和职业医学终身教授Anthony Seaton说，该研究并不决定性地证明了原因是纳米颗粒。相反，他把这一案例描述成“健康和安全措施的完全失效”的一个例子。

 

该研究把关于纳米技术的健康风险的争论推上了新的高潮，纳米颗粒能否损伤肺叶也激起了热烈的讨论。

生物通 小茜

生物通推荐原文阅读

Nature社论文章

Nanoparticle safety in doubt

Lung damage in Chinese factory workers sparks health fears.

Claims that seven Chinese factory workers developed severe lung damage from inhaling nanoparticles are stoking the debate over the environmental-health effects of nanotechnology.

 

A paper published in the European Respiratory Journal claims to be the first to document cases of ill health caused by nanoparticles in humans (Y. Song, X. Li and X. Du Eur. Respir. J. 34, 559–567; 2009). Other experts are sceptical as to whether nanoparticles are actually to blame, but the paper has triggered lively discussions.……

 

首都医大研究性文章

Exposure to nanoparticles is related to pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis and granuloma

Y. Song1, X. Li2 and X. Du1

Depts of 1 Occupational Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, and 2 Pathology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.

 

CORRESPONDENCE: Y. Song, Dept of Occupational Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, No. 8, Baijiazhuang Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China (100020). E-mail: [e-mail]

 

Keywords: Foreign-body granuloma, human, hypoxaemia, pleural effusion, polyacrylate nanoparticle, pulmonary fibrosis

 

Nano materials generate great benefits as well as new potential risks. Animal studies and in vitro experiments show that nanoparticles can result in lung damage and other toxicity, but no reports on the clinical toxicity in humans due to nanoparticles have yet been made.

 

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between a group of workers' presenting with mysterious symptomatic findings and their nanoparticle exposure.

 

Seven young female workers (aged 18–47 yrs), exposed to nanoparticles for 5–13 months, all with shortness of breath and pleural effusions were admitted to hospital. Immunological tests, examinations of bacteriology, virology and tumour markers, bronchoscopy, internal thoracoscopy and video-assisted thoracic surgery were performed. Surveys of the workplace, clinical observations and examinations of the patients were conducted.

 

Polyacrylate, consisting of nanoparticles, was confirmed in the workplace. Pathological examinations of patients' lung tissue displayed nonspecific pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary fibrosis and foreign-body granulomas of pleura. Using transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticles were observed to lodge in the cytoplasm and caryoplasm of pulmonary epithelial and mesothelial cells, but are also located in the chest fluid. These cases arouse concern that long-term exposure to some nanoparticles without protective measures may be related to serious damage to human lungs.