Nickel induces intracellular calcium mobilization and pathophysiological responses in human cultured airway epithelial cells.

Abstract Environmental exposure to nickel is associated to respiratory disorders and potential toxicity in the lung but molecular mechanisms remain incompletely explored. The extracellular Ca 2+ -sensing receptor (CaSR) is widely distributed and may be activated by divalent cations. In this study, we investigated the presence of CaSR in human cultured airway epithelial cells and its activation by nickel. Nickel transiently increased intracellular calcium (−log EC 50  = 4.67 ± 0.06) in A549 and human bronchial epithelial cells as measured by epifluorescence microscopy. Nickel (20 μM)-induced calcium responses were reduced after thapsigargin or ryanodine exposure but not by Ca 2+ -free medium…