Fig. 3
nCeO2 induces collagen I production from NHLFs, a hallmark of fibrosis, while amsCeO2 does not. Primary human lung fibroblasts were treated with the indicated nanoparticle for 48 h. Western blot analysis with corresponding densitometry (a) and fluorescence microscopy (b) revealed a nCeO2-induced increase in collagen I production, while the amorphous silica coating of nCeO2 attenuated this observed effect on collagen production. SWCNTs and TGFβ (1 ng/mL) also significantly increased the expression of collagen I, as expected. (c) Alpha-smooth muscle actin staining of NHLFs that had been treated for 48 h with 0.2 μg/cm2 of the indicated nanoparticle demonstrated that nCeO2, as well as the Sigma CeO2, SWCNTs, and TGFβ, increased expression of this myofibroblast marker. In contrast, the amsCeO2, as well as the aSiO2 control, expressed levels consistent with non-treated (NT) cells. Statistical significance is indicated as *p < 0.05 compared to NT conditions and #p < 0.05 for nCeO2 compared to amsCeO2