Fig. 2From: Air-liquid interface exposure to aerosols of poorly soluble nanomaterials induces different biological activation levels compared to exposure to suspensionsExposure of cells at the ALI to aerosols of NMs. Cells at the ALI in inserts were exposed simultaneously to aerosols of NMs or to air in two different VitroCell® exposure chambers. NM aerosols were generated at a 5 L/min flow rate by nebulization of suspensions using a nebulizer. Aerosols were dried using a dryer to reduce relative humidity to 90 %. The aerosols were sucked using a vacuum pump to allow the NM deposition on the cells. At the cell level, the flow rate was reduced to 5 mL/min/well using flow controllers to prevent cell damage. Aerosols were characterized in real time using a SMPS and a COP, to assess the size distribution and by gravimetric measurements, to assess the mass concentration. The deposition of NMs on the cells was assessed by performing QCM and ICP-MS measurements and TEM analysis, to assess the mass, shape, size and distribution of the NMs on the cellsBack to article page