| Objective:In this study,We observed the risk factors for coal worker’s pneumoconiosis(CWP)and the expression of pyroptosis-related cytokines in peripheral blood associated with CWP.Furthermore,we aimed to improve the health of workers and we revealed a potential signaling pathway in which cell necrosis participates in coal dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis,providing theoretical evidence for understanding the role of dust in fibrosis and suggesting new avenues for prevention and treatment of CWP.Methods:In this subject,a case-control study was carried out on patients with CWP from January 2020 to December 2022 at the Autonomous Region Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Control.There were 142 cases in this group,including 49 cases without pneumoconiosis,77 cases with stage I of CWP,10 cases with stage II of CWP,and 6 cases with stage III of CWP.The questionnaire survey results were used to analyze the risk factors for CWP.By Western blotting method,the expressions of NLRP3,Pro-caspase-1,caspase-1,caspase-4,GSDMD and GSDMD-N which are closely related to the pathogenesis of CWP,were determined,while this study intends to detect the content of inflammatory factor IL-1β by ELISA method.The t-test was used for comparisons between two groups,while analysis of variance(ANOVA)was employed more than two groups.The chi-square test was used for comparisons of qualitative data.Multivariate analysis of CWP was performed using ordinal logistic regression.The significance level of the hypothesis testing was set atα=0.05,and when P<0.05,it was considered to have a statistically significant difference.Results:1.Occupational Health Check: A total of 142 research subjects were included,with a mean age of(51.65±6.31)years.The average length of service was(15.94±9.38)years.By analyzing the differences in lifestyle among study subjects in different case-control groups,the results showed differences in alcohol consumption between the groups(H=-2.146,P=0.037).Analysis of blood routine results revealed that the hemoglobin content in stage II coal worker’s pneumoconiosis was higher than in stage I(F=1.787,P=0.026),and the percentage of neutrophils in stage III was higher than in the other three groups(F=1.776,P=0.027).Biochemical analysis of different case-control groups showed that total bilirubin(F=1.977,P=0.018)was higher in stage I coal worker’s pneumoconiosis than in the control group,and blood sedimentation content was higher in stage II coal worker’s pneumoconiosis than in the control group and stage I(F=3.890,P=0.01).The creatine kinase isoenzyme CKMB was higher in stage III coal worker’s pneumoconiosis than in the other three groups(F=3.031,P=0.032).Analysis of the relationship between lung function and coal worker’s pneumoconiosis showed that the FEV1 of stage II patients was higher than that of stage III patients(F=2.805,P=0.042).The FEV1% of stage I and II coal worker’s pneumoconiosis patients was higher than that of stage III(F=2.707,P=0.048),and the FEV1/FVC of stage III coal worker’s pneumoconiosis patients was lower than that of the other three groups(F=3.138,P=0.028).The DLCO percentage(F=3.896,P=0.01)and DLCO(F=3.567,P=0.016)of stage II coal worker’s pneumoconiosis patients were lower than those of the control group and stage I patients,and the MEF25 of stage II coal worker’s pneumoconiosis patients was higher than that of the other three groups(F=3.766,P=0.012).2.Analysis of factors affecting the incidence of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis: Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis results showed that alcohol consumption,IL-1β,and bilirubin levels were associated with the incidence of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.The odds of developing the disease were2.07 times higher in drinkers than non-drinkers(OR: 2.07;95% CI: 1.02-4.19);for every one-unit increase in IL-1β level,the risk of disease increased by 4.10 times(OR: 4.10;95% CI: 1.54-10.93);for every one-unit increase in bilirubin level,the risk of disease increased by 1.07 times(OR: 1.07;95% CI:1.01-1.14).These results suggest that increased alcohol consumption,IL-1β,and bilirubin levels are independent risk factors for the incidence of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.3.Inflammatory cytokine levels were compared among different case-control groups,with IL-18 and IL-1β levels found to be significantly higher in coal worker’s pneumoconiosis(CWP)stage III patients compared to the other three groups(IL-18: F=3.402,P=0.02;IL-1β: F=8.169,P=0.000).In the group with obstructive lung ventilation impairment,IL-18(542.60±624.24 pg/L)and IL-1β(2.30±2.48 pg/L)levels were higher than those in the control group(IL-18: 299.36±205.41 pg/L,IL-1β: 1.19±0.91 pg/L),and the difference was statistically significant.In the group with mild lung injury,IL-18(666.42±729.74 pg/L)and IL-1β(2.50±2.57 pg/L)levels were also higher than those in the control group(IL-18: 299.36±205.41 pg/L,IL-1β: 1.19±0.91 pg/L)and the group with severe lung injury(IL-18: 258.35±43.51 pg/L,IL-1β: 0.99±0.28pg/L),and the difference was statistically significant.Correlations between various blood routine indicators and IL-18/IL-1β concentrations were analyzed and it was found that the percentage of neutrophils was positively correlated with IL-18(r=-0.233,P=0.005).Correlations between various lung function indicators and IL-18/IL-1β concentrations were also analyzed,and it was found that DLCO% was positively correlated with IL-18(r=0.187,P=0.026),while FEV1(r=-0.174,P=0.038),PEF(r=-0.118,P=0.041),and MEF50(r=-0.174,P=0.039)were negatively correlated with IL-1β.4.Cell pyroptosis proteins: Western blot analysis was used to detect cell pyroptosis-related proteins in blood.Compared with the control group,the expression levels of NLRP3,pro-caspase-1,caspase-1,GSDMD,GSDMD-N,and caspase-4 in stage III coal workers’ pneumoconiosis patients were significantly higher,and the differences were statistically significant.Conclusions:This study found that alcohol consumption,IL-1β,and serum bilirubin levels are risk factors for the development of CWP.The more severe the stage of CWP,the worse the lung ventilation function,and the higher the levels of inflammatory factors IL-18 and IL-1β.Lung ventilation indicators FEV1,PEF,and MEF50 were negatively correlated with IL-1β level.The classical cell pyroptosis pathway and non-classical cell pyroptosis pathway may be involved in the process of coal dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis. |
PDF Full Text Request