Mineral fibers induce apoptosis in Syrian hamster embryo fibroblasts.

It is known that asbestos and other mineral fibers induce lung cancer and mesothelioma. However, the primary mechanisms of fiber-induced carcinogenesis still remain to be elucidated. Previous studies, including our own, have shown that asbestos causes specific mitotic disturbances, micronucleus formation and typical changes in chromatin structure resembling those of apoptosis. This effect has been considered as programmed cell death removing damaged or pre-cancerous cells. We investigated the induction of apoptosis by asbestos (amosite, crocidolite, chrysotile) and ceramic fibers. The typical ladder pattern of DNA fragments was identified by means of gel electrophoresis, the intracellular calcium concentration was measured and flow cytometry analyses were carried out to determine the percentage of apoptotic cells. The different fibers showed different potencies for the induction of apoptosis in Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells. Depending on the type of fiber applied 3-33% of cells underwent apoptosis. Chrysotile proved to be the most potent inducer of apoptosis compared to the other fibers. In addition, an increase intracellular calcium level was observed in apoptotic SHE cells. Chrysotile induced apoptosis after a considerably longer exposure time (66-72 h) than cisplatin (24 h). In view of these findings we hypothesize that chrysotile induces apoptosis resulting from long-term changes in intracellular regulation pathways.