%0 Journal Article %J Data Brief %D 2016 %T Histopathological data of iron and calcium in the mouse lung after asbestos exposure. %A Trevisan, Elisa %A Zabucchi, Giuliano %A Pascolo, Lorella %A Pascotto, Ernesto %A Casarsa, Claudia %A Lucattelli, Monica %A Lungarella, Giuseppe %A Cavarra, Eleonora %A Bartalesi, Barbara %A Zweyer, Marina %A Borelli, Violetta %X

This data article contains data related to the research article entitled, "Synchrotron X-ray microscopy reveals early calcium and iron interaction with crocidolite fibers in the lung of exposed mice" [1]. Asbestos fibers disrupt iron homeostasis in the human and mouse lung, leading to the deposition of iron (Fe) onto longer asbestos fibers which forms asbestos bodies (AB) [2]. Similar to Fe, calcium (Ca) is also deposited in the coats of the AB. This article presents data on iron and calcium in the mouse lung after asbestos exposure detected by histochemical evaluation.

%B Data Brief %V 6 %P 769-75 %8 2016 Mar %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26909387?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.dib.2016.01.026 %0 Journal Article %J J Toxicol Environ Health A %D 2016 %T Iron signature in asbestos-induced malignant pleural mesothelioma: A population-based autopsy study. %A Crovella, Sergio %A Bianco, Anna Monica %A Vuch, Joseph %A Zupin, Luisa %A Moura, Ronald Rodrigues %A Trevisan, Elisa %A Schneider, Manuela %A Brollo, Alessandro %A Nicastro, Enza Maria %A Cosenzi, Alessandro %A Zabucchi, Giuliano %A Borelli, Violetta %K Adult %K Aged %K Asbestos %K Autopsy %K Case-Control Studies %K Female %K Ferritins %K Gene Frequency %K Genetic Markers %K Humans %K Iron %K Lung Neoplasms %K Male %K Membrane Proteins %K Mesothelioma %K Middle Aged %K Mutation, Missense %K Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide %K Transferrin %K Young Adult %X

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. The development of MPM is frequently linked to inhalation of asbestos fibers. A genetic component of susceptibility to this disease is suggested by the observation that some individuals develop MPM following lower doses of asbestos exposure, whereas others exposed to higher quantities do not seem to be affected. This hypothesis is supported also by frequent reports of MPM familial clustering. Despite the widely recognized role of iron (Fe) in cellular asbestos-induced pulmonary toxicity, the role of the related gene polymorphisms in the etiology of MPM has apparently not been evaluated. Eighty-six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 10 Fe-metabolism genes were examined by exploiting formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded postmortem samples from 77 patients who died due to MPM (designated AEM) and compared with 48 who were exposed to asbestos but from died in old age of cause other than asbestos (designated AENM). All subjects showed objective signs of asbestos exposure. Three SNPs, localized in the ferritin heavy polypeptide, transferrin, and hephaestin genes, whose frequencies were distributed differently in AEM and AENM populations, were identified. For ferritin and transferrin the C/C and the G/G genotypes, respectively, representing intronic polymorphisms, were significantly associated with protection against MPM and need to be considered as possible genetic markers of protection. Similarly, the C/C hephaestin SNP, a missense variation of this multicopper ferroxidase encoding gene, may be related, also functionally, with protection against MPM. In conclusion, it is proposed that three Fe metabolism-associated genes, significantly associated with protection against development of MPM, may serve as protective markers for this aggressive tumor.

%B J Toxicol Environ Health A %V 79 %P 129-41 %8 2016 %G eng %N 3 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26818092?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1080/15287394.2015.1123452 %0 Journal Article %J Toxicol Lett %D 2016 %T Synchrotron X-ray microscopy reveals early calcium and iron interaction with crocidolite fibers in the lung of exposed mice. %A Pascolo, Lorella %A Zabucchi, Giuliano %A Gianoncelli, Alessandra %A Kourousias, George %A Trevisan, Elisa %A Pascotto, Ernesto %A Casarsa, Claudia %A Ryan, Chris %A Lucattelli, Monica %A Lungarella, Giuseppe %A Cavarra, Eleonora %A Bartalesi, Barbara %A Zweyer, Marina %A Cammisuli, Francesca %A Melato, Mauro %A Borelli, Violetta %X

Human exposure to asbestos can cause a wide variety of lung diseases that are still a current major health concern, even if asbestos has been banned in many countries. It has been shown in many studies that asbestos fibers, ingested by alveolar macrophages, disrupt lung iron homeostasis by sequestering iron. Calcium can also be deposited on the fibers. The pathways along which iron and above all calcium interact with fibers are still unknown. Our aim was that of investigating if the iron accumulation induced by the inhaled asbestos fibers also involves calcium ions accumulation. Lung sections of asbestos-exposed mice were analyzed using an extremely sensitive procedure available at the synchrotron facilities, that provides morphological and chemical information based on X-ray fluorescence microspectroscopy (μ-XRF). In this study we show that (1) where conventional histochemical procedures revealed only weak deposits of iron and calcium, μ-XRF analysis is able to detect significant deposits of both iron and calcium on the inhaled asbestos fibers; (2) the extent of the deposition of these ions is proportionally directly related and (3) iron and calcium deposition on inhaled asbestos fibers is concomitant with the appearance of inflammatory and hyperplastic reactions.

%B Toxicol Lett %V 241 %P 111-20 %8 2016 Jan 22 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26602167?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.toxlet.2015.11.016 %0 Journal Article %J Infect Agent Cancer %D 2015 %T NLRP1 and NLRP3 polymorphisms in mesothelioma patients and asbestos exposed individuals a population-based autopsy study from North East Italy. %A Borelli, Violetta %A Moura, Ronal R %A Trevisan, Elisa %A Crovella, Sergio %X

NRLP1 (rs12150220, rs9889625, rs9900356, rs6502867, rs2670660) and NLRP3 (rs35829419, rs10754558) polymorphisms have been analyzed in 69 subjects with documented asbestos exposure and death for malignant pleural mesothelioma and 59 patients with documented asbestos exposure but death for other causes, all from a North East Italy. No association was found between NLRP1 and NLRP3 polymorphisms and susceptibility to develop mesothelioma using the general, dominant or recessive models. Also haplotype analysis did not reveal any significant association with mesothelioma. Our findings, being controversial with respect to another study on Italian patients, do suggest the need of further studies to unravel the contribution of NLRP1 and NLRP3 in susceptibility to mesothelioma.

%B Infect Agent Cancer %V 10 %P 26 %8 2015 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26236392?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1186/s13027-015-0022-0 %0 Journal Article %J Biomed Res Int %D 2015 %T Ultrastructural Morphology of Sperm from Human Globozoospermia. %A Ricci, Giuseppe %A Andolfi, Laura %A Zabucchi, Giuliano %A Luppi, Stefania %A Boscolo, Rita %A Martinelli, Monica %A Zweyer, Marina %A Trevisan, Elisa %X

Globozoospermia is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of sperm with round head, lacking acrosome. Coiling tail around the nucleus has been reported since early human studies, but no specific significance has conferred it. By contrast, studies on animal models suggest that coiling tail around the nucleus could represent a crucial step of defective spermatogenesis, resulting in round-headed sperm. No observations, so far, support the transfer of this hypothesis to human globozoospermia. The purpose of this work was to compare ultrastructural morphology of human and mouse model globozoospermic sperm. Sperm have been investigated by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The images that we obtained show significant similarities to those described in GOPC knockout mice, an animal model of globozoospermia. By using this model as reference, we were able to identify the probable steps of the tail coiling process in human globozoospermia. Although we have no evidence that there is the same pathophysiology in man and knocked-out mouse, the similarities between these ultrastructural observations in human and those in the experimental model are very suggestive. This is the first demonstration of the existence of relevant morphological homologies between the tail coiling in animal model and human globozoospermia.

%B Biomed Res Int %V 2015 %P 798754 %8 2015 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26436098?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1155/2015/798754 %0 Journal Article %J J Toxicol Environ Health A %D 2012 %T Peroxidase-like activity of ferruginous bodies isolated by exploiting their magnetic property. %A Borelli, Violetta %A Trevisan, Elisa %A Vita, Francesca %A Bottin, Cristina %A Melato, Mauro %A Rizzardi, Clara %A Zabucchi, Giuliano %K Air Pollutants, Occupational %K Asbestos %K Asbestosis %K Benzidines %K Catalysis %K Cell Line %K Chromogenic Compounds %K Cytotoxins %K Ferric Compounds %K Ferritins %K Ferrosoferric Oxide %K Humans %K Hydrogen-Ion Concentration %K Lung %K Magnetic Phenomena %K Mesothelioma %K Mineral Fibers %K Oxidation-Reduction %K Peroxidases %K Respiratory Mucosa %X

Ferruginous bodies (FB) are polymorphic structures whose formation is macrophage dependent, and are composed of a core, which may consist of an asbestos fiber coated with proteins, among which ferritin is the main component. Within ferritin, the ferric and ferrous ions are coordinated as ferrihydrite, which is the main iron (Fe) storage compound. However, when ferritin accumulates in some tissues following Fe overload it also contains magnetite along with ferrihydrite, which endows it with magnetic properties. Recently studies showed that magnetite exerts peroxidase-like activity, and since ferruginous bodies display magnetic properties, it was postulated that these particular structures may also contain magnetite within the ferritin coating, and thus may also exert peroxidase-like activity. Histochemical analysis for peroxidase of isolated FB smears demonstrated positive staining. Samples isolated from 4 different autopsy lung fragments were also able to oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-benzidine to a blue colored compound that absorbs at 655 nm. This activity was (1) azide and heat insensitive with optimal pH from 5 to 6, and (2) highly variable, changing more than 25-fold from one sample to another. These findings, together with evidence that the peroxidase-like activity of ferruginous bodies has a hydrogen peroxide and substrate requirement different from that of human myeloperoxidase, can exclude that this enzyme gives a significant contribution to the formation of FB. Standard Fe-rich asbestos fibers also express a peroxidase-like activity, but this appears negligible compared to that of ferruginous bodies. Strong acidification of standard Fe-containing asbestos fibers or magnetically isolated ferruginous bodies liberates a high amount of peroxidase-like activity, which is probably accounted for by the release of Fe ions. Further, FB also damage mesothelial cells in vitro. Data suggest that FB exert peroxidase-like activity and cytotoxic activity against mesothelial cells, and hence may be an important factor in pathogenesis of asbestos-related diseases.

%B J Toxicol Environ Health A %V 75 %P 603-23 %8 2012 %G eng %N 11 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22712847?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1080/15287394.2012.688478