Browsing by Author "Teixeira, Sara Antunes de Almeida"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Biological effects of cellulose nanofibrils in a lung epithelial cell linePublication . Teixeira, Sara Antunes de Almeida; Louro, Henriqueta; Silva, Maria JoãoCellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are plant-derived nanomaterials, showing advantageous physicochemical properties, renewable nature and low cost. CNFs have great potential in several industries, including forest, food, pharmaceutical and biomedicine, as drug-delivery systems or for tissue repair and regeneration. The increased production and application of CNFs leads to greater exposure of both workers and consumers, being extremely important to evaluate possible negative outcomes for human health. Due to their similarities with other fibers, such as carbon nanotubes, they may reveal adverse effects, such as carcinogenesis. The objective of this work was to evaluate the biosafety of CNFs produced by different pre-treatments - TEMPO-mediated oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis - from a bleached industrial Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp. For this purpose, the internalization, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of these CNFs was analysed through different parameters: intracellular localization, cell viability and chromosome damage. Human lung epithelial cells (A549) were used, since the most frequent route of exposure is inhalation of CNFs, especially in occupational context. Preliminary results suggested that CNFs may not be internalized. Both CNFs did not show cytotoxicity and genotoxicity effects, regardless of dose and exposure time. However, an increase in cell proliferative capacity was observed when exposed to both types of CNFs. In conclusion, although the studied CNFs have different properties, in vitro safety assessment in A549 cells confirmed that both are biocompatible and showed a stimulating action on cell proliferation that needs to be explored through other parameters or in vivo assays. Understanding the physicochemical properties that possibly influence biological effects will contribute to a safe-by-design approach, enabling a more responsible and sustainable development of CNFs.