Browsing by Author "Fowler, Jodi"

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    The Assessment of Effects of Carbon Quantum Dots on Immune System Biomarkers Using RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cells
    (University of the Western Cape, 2020) Fowler, Jodi; Pool, Edmund
    Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field of research. Due to major innovations brought about by developments in nanotech, several consumer products are currently available containing nanomaterials. The increase of nanomaterial production and use is accompanied by the increased potential of human, plant and animal exposure to these nanomaterials. As a relatively new nanomaterial, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are being extensively used and researched due to its unique properties. Although many studies have assessed the toxic potential of CQDs, and found them to exhibit low toxicity, there is lack of work assessing the effects on the immune system. In the present study, RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were used as model to assess the immunomodulatory potential of CQDs. RAW cells exposed to varying concentrations of CQDs (0-500μg/ml), showed that CQDs caused a reduction at cell viability. In the absence of a mitogen CQDs, induced an inflammatory response by stimulating the release of various cytokines and chemokines such as, TNFα, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MIP-2, IP-10, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and JE.
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    The effects of carbon dots on immune system biomarkers, using the Murine Macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and human whole blood cell cultures
    (MDPI, 2018) Lategan, Kim; Fowler, Jodi; Bayati, Mohamed; Fidalgo de Cortalezzi, Maria; Pool, Edmund
    Abstract: Carbon dots (CDs) are engineered nanoparticles that are used in a number of bioapplications such as bioimaging, drug delivery and theranostics. The effects of CDs on the immune system have not been evaluated. The effects of CDs on the immune system were assessed by using RAW264.7 cells and whole blood cell cultures. RAW cells were exposed to CD concentrations under basal conditions. Whole blood cell cultures were exposed to CD concentrations under basal conditions or in the presence of the mitogens, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phytohaemmagglutinin (PHA). After exposure, a number of parameters were assessed, such as cell viability, biomarkers of inflammation, cytokine biomarkers of the acquired immune system and a proteome profile analysis. CDs were cytotoxic to RAW and whole blood cell cultures at 62.5, 250 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Biomarkers associated with inflammation were induced by CD concentrations ≥250 and 500 µg/mL under basal conditions for both RAW and whole blood cell cultures, respectively. The humoral immune cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 was increased at 500 µg/mL CD under both basal and PHA activated whole blood cell culture conditions. Proteome analysis supported the inflammatory data as upregulated proteins identified are associated with inflammation. The upregulated proteins provide potential biomarkers of risk that can be assessed upon CD exposure.