Figure 6

Examination of intrinsic cascade pathways. (a) In vitro changes in blood coagulation factor XII activity in human plasma by silica particles of various sizes. The initial rate of reaction of coagulation factor XII was obtained from human plasma, which was obtained from a control sample of human plasma, which did not contain any silica particles, and was measured by fluorescence intensity. Results are expressed as mean ± S.D. (n = 5). ** and * represent significant differences from the control (**p < 0.01, *p < 0.05). RFU: relative fluorescent unit. (b) The level of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) and (c) the level of von Willebrand factor (vWF) in mouse plasma. BALB/c mice were intranasally exposed to nSP30, nSP70, mSP300, nSP100 or mSP1000 at a concentration of 500 μg/mouse for 7 days. Twenty-four hours after the final administration, the levels of sCD40L and vWF in the mouse plasma were determined using ELISA. Results are expressed as mean ± S.E. (n = 4–5). ** and * represent significant differences from the control (**p < 0.01, *p < 0.05).