https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11071685

Matthias Hufnagel ¹, Nadine May ², Johanna Wall ¹, Nadja Wingert ³, Manuel Garcia-Käufer ³, Ali Arif ³, Christof Hübner ⁴, Markus Berger ⁵, Sonja Mülhopt ², Werner Baumann ², Frederik Weis ⁶, Tobias Krebs ⁵, Wolfgang Becker ⁴, Richard Gminski ³, Dieter Stapf ², and Andrea Hartwig ¹,

¹ Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Institute of Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany;
² Institute for Technical Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; 
³ Institute for Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany;
⁴ Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology, 76327 Pfinztal, Germany; 
⁵ Vitrocell® Systems GmbH, 79183 Waldkirch, Germany; 
⁶ Palas GmbH, 76229 Karlsruhe, Germany; 

This study was the first to investigate the toxicological effects of well characterized aerosols released during combustion of thermoplastic nanocomposites using an air–liquid interface exposure system. Even though studies on the toxicological potential of combustion-generated particulate matter as well as VOCs have been published, none of them was designed to investigate the effect of the native aerosol using appropriate realistic lung cell culture models. In the current study we investigated the combustion behavior of PE-based nanocomposites on a lab-scale burner. As nanoscaled fillers TiO2 NP, CuO NP, as well as CNT were chosen for this study, with TiO2 NP representing a commonly used insoluble and inert nanomaterial, CuO NP as a known in vitro cyto- as well as genotoxic nanomaterial, and CNT as a fiber-shaped nanomaterial.

Read more

DOI: 10.14573/altex.2010211 

Sandra Verstraelen¹, An Jacobs¹, Jo Van Laer¹, Karen Hollanders¹, Masha Van Deun², Diane Bertels², Rob Brabers¹, Hilda Witters¹, Sylvie Remy^1,3, Lieve Geerts¹, Lize Deferme⁴ and Evelien Frijns^1
1VITO NV (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Unit HEALTH, Mol, Belgium; 
²VITO NV, Unit Separation and Conversion Technology (SCT), Mol, Belgium; 
³University of Antwerp, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Antwerp, Belgium; 
⁴ExxonMobil Petroleum and Chemical BV, Machelen, Belgium
 

This pilot study exposed a frequently used in vitro model (A549 cells) at the ALI to assess inhalation toxicity of the single compound EB. Experimental conditions using the VITROCELL® 24/48 exposure system were optimized to achieve a (low) delivery efficiency that resulted in dose-dependent biological changes. The data demonstrate consistency in effect levels when comparing cell viability in the ALI experiments with known in vivo non-lethal effects in humans. It can be concluded that QIVIVE from in vitro air concentrations applied for testing cell viability to in vivo air concentrations may be a promising method for screening for acute inhalation toxicity. 

Read more

Regular leak tests are mandatory in aerosol research. A leak caused by a forgotten connection or defective o-ring may have a significant influence on the aerosol exposure process. We recommend to carry out a leak test prior to the experiment and as part of cleaning or service routine.

VITROCELL Application Note

Read more

DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.616830 

Ali Doryab ^1,2, Mehmet Berat Taskin ³, Philipp Stahlhut ³, Andreas Schröppel ^1,2, Sezer Orak ^1,2, Carola Voss ^1,2, Arti Ahluwalia ^4,5, Markus Rehberg ^1,2, Anne Hilgendorff ^1,2,6, Tobias Stöger ^1,2, Jürgen Groll ³ and Otmar Schmid ^1,2

¹ Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Munich, Germany,
² Helmholtz Zentrum München—German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Lung Biology and Disease, Munich, Germany, 
³ Department of Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, 
⁴ Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, 
⁵ Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, 
⁶ Center for Comprehensive Developmental Care (CDeCLMU), Dr. von Haunersches Children’s Hospital University, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
 

We have recently introduced a novel porous and elastic membrane for in vitro cell-stretch models of the lung cultured under ALI conditions (Doryab et al., 2020). This innovative hybrid biphasic membrane, henceforth referred to as Biphasic Elastic Thin for Air-liquid culture conditions (BETA) membrane, was developed to optimize membrane characteristics for  the two phases of cell-stretch experiments under ALI conditions, namely the initial cell seeding, attachment and growth phase under submerged cell culture conditions  (phase  I)  followed  by an ALI acclimatization and cell-stretch phase at the ALI (phase II). This patented aerosol-cell exposure unit has recently been made  commercially  available  as  VITROCELL^® Cloud  MAX.

Read more

The VITROCELL® Cloud Alpha series is our newest innovation and presents a great leap forward in automated exposure of cell cultures. It combines reliable exposure of cell cultures from the respiratory tract with ease of use. The series comprises the Cloud Alpha 6, Cloud Alpha 12, Cloud Alpha 96 and Cloud Alpha MAX – they represent an optimal solution for everyday experiments at the Air/Liquid Interface using 6-well, 12-well, 24-well or 96-sized inserts.

This video showcases available product configurations.

Read more