Effect of diesel-emitted nanostructured particles on the apparent surface rheology of model lung surfactant

Abstract

Diesel exhaust contain nanostructured particles which may be inhaled and may interact with the lung surfactant (LS) present in the respiratory system. This work reports the experimental analysis of surface tension variations in model LS system which contain diesel exhaust particles (DEPs). Experiments of oscillatory deformations of air/liquid interface under physiological-like conditions allowed to determine the changes in apparent surface rheological parameters, which indicated evident alteration of mechanical properties of LS caused by DEPs. These results allow to speculate on possible adverse effects of inhaled DEPs on LS in vivo.