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Figure 5 | Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Figure 5

From: Nanometer-long Ge-imogolite nanotubes cause sustained lung inflammation and fibrosis in rats

Figure 5

Ge-imogolites with intact local atomic structure are localized in fibrotic lung zones. Wistar rats were intra-tracheally instilled with 1 mg SW and DW Ge-imogolites (Ge-imo) or only with their vehicle (NaCl) for control lung. All analyses were performed on paraffin-embedded lung cross sections obtained from animals sacrificed after 60 d. (A) micro-XRF sum spectra of lungs from rats instilled with NaCl, DW and SW Ge-imogolites. Sum spectra are extracted from hyperspectral mapping of lung regions (shown in D-E, H-I, L-M). Spectra are intentionally shifted along y-axis expressed in arbitrary unit. (B) XAS at Ge K-edge: radial distribution functions (RDF) of lungs from rats instilled with SW and DW Ge-imogolites compared to RDF of a DW Ge-imogolite reference sample. (C) Theoretical structure of Ge-imogolite showing the coordination environment around Ge: the first atomic shell is attributed to 4 oxygen atoms surrounding the Ge atom at 1,75 Å and the second coordination sphere of Ge corresponds to Ge-Al atomic pairs (theoretical number of 6 Al neighbors around 3,27 Å). Micro-XRF maps (pixel size of 104 μm) showing the distribution of S (D, H, L) and Ge (E, I, M) in NaCl (D-E), SW (H-I) and DW (L-M) treated lungs. Pulmonary zones are S positive. Scans of lung upper layer sections stained with H&E from NaCl (F), SW (J) and DW (N) Ge-imogolite samples. Squares delimitate Ge-rich areas selected for micro-CT. 2D virtual slices extracted from reconstructed micro-CT volume of NaCl (G), SW (K) and DW (O) Ge-imogolite treated samples. White arrows indicate brilliant areas with high X-ray attenuation (attributed to the presence of Ge-imogolites).

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