Hematological effects of ultrafine carbon black on red blood cells and hemoglobin

June 29, 2020

Title

Hematological effects of ultrafine carbon black on red blood cells and hemoglobin

Author

Jie Pan, Chao Li, Xun Zhang, Rutao Liu

Year

2019

Journal

Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology

Abstract

The harmful effects of ultrafine particles (UFPs) in the atmosphere have caused widespread concern. Ultrafine carbon black (UFCB) is an important component of UFPs. In this study, we explored the impact of UFCB on the structure, the antioxidant defense system, and the ATPase activity of human red blood cells (hRBCs). It was found that UFCB decreased the activity of SOD (73.58%), CAT (89.79%), and GSH‐Px (81.02%), leading to oxidative stress in hRBCs. UFCB had no destructive effect on the structure of hRBCs in 4 hours. ATPase activity increased (119.34%) and UFCB had weakly stimulated the cell membrane. On the molecular level, spectroscopic experiments showed that bovine hemoglobin (BHb) can bind to the UFCB by electrostatic force, leading to the shrinking of the BHb skeleton and increase in microenvironment polarity. This study demonstrates the negative hematological effect of UFCB on hemoglobin and hRBCs and reveals the potential risks in animals and humans.

Instrument

J-810

Keywords

Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Ligand binding, Agriculture and environmental, Biochemistry