| Summary: | Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Medical BioScience) === Heavy metals and nanoparticles may be released into the environment due to their use
and applications. Sources of high, toxic metal concentrations may result from
leachates from hazardous waste sites, discharge from industrial plants, and effluents
from wastewater treatment plants being released into the environment. Nanoparticles
may be found in a number of consumer products, and are used in medical
applications such as drug delivery, bioimaging and biosensing. The release of heavy
metals and nanoparticles to the environment may directly or indirectly impact abiotic
and biotic systems. Three heavy metals and three nanoparticles were selected for this study. The heavy
metals selected include cadmium (Cd), silver (Ag) and copper (Cu). The
nanoparticles (NPs) chosen were silver nanoparicles (AgNPs), graphene oxide
nanoparticles (GONPs) and carbon dots (CDs). These compounds were selected to
evaluate the potential effects these compound may have on the immune system.
The murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and human whole blood cell cultures
(WBCs) were selected as immune system representatives to assess the effects of
heavy metals and nanoparticles on the immune system. The effects of heavy metals
and NPs on RAW cells were monitored either in the absence or presence of the
mitogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The effects of heavy metals and NPs on WBCs
were evaluated under basal conditions or in the presence of LPS or
phytohaemmagglutinin (PHA). A number of parameters were monitored.
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