With the development of nanotechnologies, the question arises about the respiratory toxicity and the impact of the manufactured nanoparticles on the respiratory diseases such as allergic asthma. The aim of this thesis was to study the respiratory toxicity and biodistribution of carbon nanotubes (CNT), which are emblematic figures of nanotechnologies, in normal mice and in a murine asthma model. This work was conducted on multi-walled CNT, which represent more than 95% of the industrial production of CNT. Our data showed that CNT distribute uniformly in the mouse airways, that they areinternalized by different resident and infiltrated cells (macrophages, type II pneumocytes, neutrophils), and that they are able, according to the dose and duration of exposure, to induce an inflammatory response and a tissue remodeling. Our data also showed that CNT can promote the response to an allergen, and suggested that epithelial cells play a role in this effect. Thus, exposure to CNT could represent a risk for the respiratory health of healthy subjects and asthmatics.
