Comparison of Lung Inflammatory and Transcriptional Responses in Mice and Rats Following Pulmonary Exposure to a Fiber Paradigm-Compatible and Non-Compatible MWCNT

Abstract

Inhalation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) poses potential health risks due to their structural similarity to asbestos and their ability to induce chronic lung inflammation, fibrosis, and lung cancer in animal models. This study investigated the pulmonary inflammatory and transcriptomic responses of two distinct MWCNTs—NM-401 (long, rigid) and NM-403 (short, thin)—in rats and mice using intratracheal instillation at matched dose levels at two post-exposure time points. Both MWCNTs induced acute neutrophilic inflammation and dose-dependent transcriptomic alterations in both species, with NM-403 eliciting a stronger response. Transcriptomic profiling revealed a substantial overlap in differentially expressed genes across materials and species, particularly at the early time point. Fibrosis-associated genes were upregulated in both species, with more persistent expression observed in rats. Acute phase response genes, including Orosomucoid 1 and Lipocalin 2 were commonly induced, while Serum Amyloid A3 and Orosomucoid 2 were selectively upregulated in mice. Functional enrichment analyses showed conserved activation of immune and inflammatory pathways. Our findings show that even short, non-fiber-like MWCNTs can provoke potent and persistent pulmonary effects, challenging assumptions based solely on MWCNT properties. Despite differences in long-term responses, the overall inflammatory and transcriptional profiles showed strong interspecies concordance, suggesting that both rats and mice are relevant models for assessing MWCNT-induced pulmonary toxicity.