Alveolar macrophages (АМ)

Neutrophil leucocytes (NL)

% AM with 0 – 20 particles

% AM with >20 particles

% NL with 0 – 20 particles

% NL with >20 particles

after administration of 10 nm particles.

9.38±0.25%ϒ

90.62±0.35%ϒ

42.66±0.28%ϒ

57.34±0.38%ϒ

after administration of 50 nm particles.

19.09±0.21%●ϒ

80.91±0.21%●ϒ

72.55±0.18%●ϒ

27.45±0.19%●ϒ

after administration of 1 μm particles.

64.00±0.16%●

36.00±0.16%●

97.75±0.08%●

2.25±0.08%●
● designates statistically significant difference from the «10 nm» group; ϒ – same from the «1 μm» group (Р<0,001 by t-test allowing for standard error of complex means
whereby data for each rat are considered as a sample consisting of n cells)
Table 4: Percentage distribution of phagocytising cells with various degrees of particle burden 24 hours after intratracheal instillation of suspensions of magnetite particle (2 mg/ml) of various sizes to rats (X±s.e.).