Project description:The effect, if any, of age on the pulmonary toxicity induced by Min-U-Sil 5 crystalline silica exposure was investigated in rats. As part of the study, the changes in global gene expression profiles in the blood and lungs of the animals were determined. To conduct these studies, to determine if age influences the pulmonary response to crystalline silica exposure, two different age groups of healthy, male F344 rats were used. In this study the old age group of rats (12 months old at the time of exposure) was exposed to either air or crystalline silica (Min-U-Sil 5) (15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days) by whole body inhalation. The old age group of rats simulates a group of workers who would be 45 to 50 years old. At two crystalline silica post-exposure time periods (1-day and 6-months) animals were euthanized and pulmonary inflammatory, cytotoxic, and oxidant responses were determined. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage parameters of toxicity such as oxidant generation and inflammation revealed significant changes in pulmonary toxicity in the crystalline silica exposed rats compared with the time-matched, air exposed control rats. The blood gene expression profiles showed only minimal changes, at both the time points, in the crystalline silica exposed rats compared with the controls. Specifically, no genes were significantly differentially expressed (fold change >1.5 and FDR p<0.05) in the one-day post-exposure group and only 6 genes were significantly differentially expressed in the 6-month post-exposure group. However, the lung gene expression profiles showed substantial changes in the crystalline silica exposed animals at both one-day and 6-month post-exposure. Specifically, there were a total of 325 genes significantly differentially expressed (fold change >1.5 and FDR p<0.05) at the one-day post-exposure group and 3348 genes significantly differentially expressed at the 6-month post-exposure. The data obtained from the present study demonstrated that crystalline silica inhalation exposure, under the conditions employed in the present study, resulted in significant changes in lung toxicity parameters and lung gene expression profile in the rats at both 1-day and 6-month post-exposure.

Project description:Identification of molecular target(s) and mechanism(s) of silica-induced pulmonary toxicity is important for the intervention and/or prevention of diseases associated with occupational exposure to crystalline silica. Rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation (15 mg/m3, 6 h/day, 5 days) and global gene expression profile was determined in the lungs by microarray analysis at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks following termination of silica exposure. The number of significantly differentially expressed genes (>1.5 fold change and <0.01 FDR p value) detected in the lungs during the post-exposure time intervals analyzed exhibited a steady increase in parallel with the progression of silica-induced pulmonary toxicity noticed in the rats. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of a representative set of 10 genes confirmed the microarray findings. The various biological functions, canonical pathways, and molecular networks affected by silica exposure, as identified by the bioinformatics analysis of the significantly differentially expressed genes, also exhibited a steady increase similar to the silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. Genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, respiratory diseases, cancer, and tissue remodeling and fibrosis were significantly differentially expressed in the rat lungs; however, unresolved lung inflammation was the single most significant biological response to pulmonary exposure to crystalline silica. Excessive mucus production, as implicated by significant overexpression of the pendrin coding gene, SLC26A4, was identified as a novel mechanism for silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. Collectively, the findings of our study provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity in the rat and these findings may be useful in future to develop strategies to prevent occupational silicosis. A total of 60 rat lung samples were analyzed in this gene expression experiment. Rats were exposed to crystalline silica at a concentration of 15 mg/mÂ³, 6-hours/day for 5 consecutive days. Rats exposed simultaneously to filtered air served as the controls. The control (n=4) and silica exposed (n=8) rats were sacrificed at post-exposure time intervals of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks following termination of silica exposure and lung gene expression profile was determined.

Project description:The effect, if any, of age on the pulmonary toxicity induced by Min-U-Sil 5 crystalline silica exposure was investigated in rats. As part of the study, the changes in global gene expression profiles in the blood and lungs of the animals were determined. To conduct these studies, to determine if age influences the pulmonary response to crystalline silica exposure, two different age groups of healthy, male F344 rats were used. In this study the young age group of rats (6 months old at the time of exposure) was exposed to either air or crystalline silica (Min-U-Sil 5) (15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days) by whole body inhalation. The young age group of rats simulates a group of workers who would be 18 to 20 years old. At two crystalline silica post-exposure time periods (1-day and 6-months) animals were euthanized and pulmonary inflammatory, cytotoxic, and oxidant responses were determined. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage parameters of toxicity such as oxidant generation and inflammation revealed significant changes in pulmonary toxicity in the crystalline silica exposed rats compared with the time-matched, air exposed control rats. The blood gene expression profiles showed only minimal changes, at both the time points, in the crystalline silica exposed rats compared with the controls. Specifically, there were a total of 5 genes significantly differentially expressed (fold change >1.5 and FDR p<0.05) in the one-day post-exposure group and no significantly differentially genes in the 6-month post-exposure group. However, the lung gene expression profiles showed substantial changes in the crystalline silica exposed animals at both one-day and 6-month post-exposure. Specifically, there were a total of 385 genes significantly differentially expressed (fold change >1.5 and FDR p<0.05) at the one-day post-exposure group and 317 genes significantly differentially expressed at the 6-month post-exposure. The data obtained from the present study demonstrated that crystalline silica inhalation exposure, under the conditions employed in the present study, resulted in significant changes in lung toxicity parameters and lung gene expression profile in the rats at both 1-day and 6-month post-exposure.

Project description:Occupational exposure to crystalline silica results in serious health effects, most notably, silicosis and cancer. A proper understanding of the mechanism(s) underlying the initiation and progression of silica-induced pulmonary toxicity is critical for the intervention and/or prevention of the adverse health effects associated with crystalline silica exposure. Rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation at a concentration of 15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 3, 6 or 12 weeks. At the end of each exposure time point, toxicity and global gene expression changes were determined in the lungs. In general, silica exposure resulted in pulmonary toxicity that was dependent on the duration of silica exposure. A significant and silica exposure time-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity and accumulation of alveolar macrophages and infiltrating neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid suggested crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity in the rats. Histological changes indicative of pulmonary toxicity were detectable only in the lungs of rats that were exposed to silica for 6- or 12-weeks. Minimal, sub-acute pulmonary inflammation consisting mainly of macrophage accumulation and infiltration of neutrophils was seen in 2 out of 8 rats in the 6-week silica exposure group. Chronic active inflammation, type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, and fibrosis were detected following 12-weeks of silica exposure in all rat lungs. In addition, crystalline silica was visible in the lungs of the rats belonging to the 12-week exposure group. A significant increase in the number of neutrophils seen in the blood indicated silica-induced systemic inflammation in the rats. Microarray analysis of the global gene expression profiles of the rat lungs detected significant differential expression (FDR p <0.05 and fold change >1.5) of 38, 77 and 99 genes in the rats exposed to silica for 3-, 6- and 12-weeks, respectively, compared to the time-matched controls. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed genes identified significant enrichment of functions, networks and pathways related to inflammation, cancer, oxidative stress, fibrosis and tissue remodeling in the lungs of the silica exposed rats. Collectively, the results of our study provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying pulmonary toxicity following sub-chronic exposure to silica in rats.

Project description:Occupational exposure to crystalline silica results in serious health effects, most notably, silicosis and cancer. A proper understanding of the mechanism(s) underlying the initiation and progression of silica-induced pulmonary toxicity is critical for the intervention and/or prevention of the adverse health effects associated with crystalline silica exposure. Rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation at a concentration of 15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 3, 6 or 12 weeks. At the end of each exposure time point, toxicity and global gene expression changes were determined in the lungs. In general, silica exposure resulted in pulmonary toxicity that was dependent on the duration of silica exposure. A significant and silica exposure time-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity and accumulation of alveolar macrophages and infiltrating neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid suggested crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity in the rats. Histological changes indicative of pulmonary toxicity were detectable only in the lungs of rats that were exposed to silica for 6- or 12-weeks. Minimal, sub-acute pulmonary inflammation consisting mainly of macrophage accumulation and infiltration of neutrophils was seen in 2 out of 8 rats in the 6-week silica exposure group. Chronic active inflammation, type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, and fibrosis were detected following 12-weeks of silica exposure in all rat lungs. In addition, crystalline silica was visible in the lungs of the rats belonging to the 12-week exposure group. A significant increase in the number of neutrophils seen in the blood indicated silica-induced systemic inflammation in the rats. Microarray analysis of the global gene expression profiles of the rat lungs detected significant differential expression (FDR p <0.05 and fold change >1.5) of 38, 77 and 99 genes in the rats exposed to silica for 3-, 6- and 12-weeks, respectively, compared to the time-matched controls. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed genes identified significant enrichment of functions, networks and pathways related to inflammation, cancer, oxidative stress, fibrosis and tissue remodeling in the lungs of the silica exposed rats. Collectively, the results of our study provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying pulmonary toxicity following sub-chronic exposure to silica in rats. 36 samples were analyzed in this experiment. 6 rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation 15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days, 3 weeks. 6 rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation 15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days, 6 weeks. 6 rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation 15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days, 12 weeks. 18 rats served as controls (6 for each 3 week, 6 week, and 12 week exposure) and were exposed to air during treatment times. Lung gene expression profiling was performed using RNA isolated from rat lung samples.

Project description:A proper understanding of the mechanisms underlying crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity has implications in the management and potential prevention of the adverse health effects associated with silica exposure including silicosis, cancer and several auto-immune diseases. Human lung type II epithelial cells and rat lungs exposed to crystalline silica were employed as experimental models to determine global gene expression changes in order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. The differential gene expression profile induced by silica correlated with its toxicity in the A549 cells. The biological processes perturbed by silica exposure in the A549 cells and rat lungs, as identified by the bioinformatic analysis of the differentially expressed genes, demonstrated significant similarity. Functional categorization of the differentially expressed genes identified cancer, cellular movement, cellular growth and proliferation, cell death, inflammatory response, cell cycle, cellular development, and genetic disorder as top-ranking biological functions perturbed by silica exposure in the A549 cells and rat lungs. The involvement of oxidative stress and apoptosis in the silica-induced pulmonary toxicity was confirmed by ELISA and confocal microscopy analysis, respectively, of the silica-exposed A549 cells. Results of our study, in addition to confirming several previously identified molecular targets and mechanisms involved in silica toxicity, identified novel molecular targets and mechanisms potentially involved in silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. Further investigations, including those focused on the novel molecular targets and mechanisms identified in the current study, may result in a better management and, possibly, reduction and/or prevention of the potential adverse health effects associated with crystalline silica exposure. 20 samples were analyzed in this experiment. RNA from rat lung samples was isolated for gene expression studies. Rats were exposed to crystalline silica by inhalation (15 mg/m3, 6 hours/day, 5 days) or air. Lung gene expression profiling was performed using rat lung samples, 8 for silica exposed and 12 for air-exposed controls at 0 weeks post-exposure time period.

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The effect of age on crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity-aged rats

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