Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Slo1

Title: Altered excitability of cultured chromaffin cells following exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Authors: Daniela Gavello, David H F Vandael, Roberta Cesa, Federica Premoselli, Andrea Marcantoni, Federico Cesano, Domenica Scarano, Bice Fubini, Emilio Carbone, Ivana Fenoglio, Valentina Carabelli

Journal, date & volume: Nanotoxicology, 2012 Feb , 6, 47-60

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21322767

Abstract
We studied the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the electrophysiological properties of cultured mouse chromaffin cells, a model of spontaneously firing cells. The exposure of chromaffin cells to MWCNTs at increasing concentrations (30-263 μg/ml) for 24 h reduced, in a dose-dependent way, both the cell membrane input resistance and the number of spontaneously active cells (from 80-52%). Active cells that survived from the toxic effects of MWCNTs exhibited more positive resting potentials, higher firing frequencies and unaltered voltage-gated Ca(2+), Na(+) and K+ current amplitudes. MWCNTs slowed down the inactivation kinetics of Ca(2+)-dependent BK channels. These electrophysiological effects were accompanied by MWCNTs internalization, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, indicating that most of the toxic effects derive from a dose-dependent MWCNTs-cell interaction that damages the spontaneous cell activity.