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Zinc Ions Induce Inflammatory Responses in Vascular Endothelial Cells

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Abstract

Using one particulate zinc oxide (ZnO) and two soluble zinc compounds (Zn(NO3)2 and Zn(CH3COO)2), we aimed to clarify if zinc ions (Zn2+), like particulate ZnO, caused inflammatory responses in vascular endothelial cells. Treatments of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with 368.6 μM of each zinc compound caused marked increases in IκBα phosphorylation and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression. Treatments with Zn(CH3COO)2 (50–350 μM) induced a dose-dependent ICAM-1 expression. These results show that Zn2+ alone is sufficient to induce similar levels of ICAM-1 expression as ZnO particles, suggesting that dissolved Zn2+ may play the major role in inflammatory effect of ZnO particles on vascular endothelial cells.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Health Research Institutes (EO-098-PP-05, EO-099-PP-03) and the National Science Council (NSC96-2314-B-400-004, NSC97-2314-B-400-003-MY3) in Taiwan. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan 350, Miaoli County, Taiwan

    Szu-Ching Yeh, Feng-Yuan Tsai & Tsui-Chun Tsou

  2. Emerging Compounds Research Center, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University and Science and Technology, Neipu 912, Pingtung County, Taiwan

    How-Ran Chao

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  1. Szu-Ching Yeh
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  2. Feng-Yuan Tsai
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  3. How-Ran Chao
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  4. Tsui-Chun Tsou
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Correspondence to Tsui-Chun Tsou.

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Szu-Ching Yeh and Feng-Yuan Tsai contributed equally.

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Yeh, SC., Tsai, FY., Chao, HR. et al. Zinc Ions Induce Inflammatory Responses in Vascular Endothelial Cells. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 87, 113–116 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0317-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0317-9

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