A Study of the Relationship between Pulmonary Fibrosis and Cytokines in Pnumoconiosis.

1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 07670460
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public health/Health science
• Research Institution: Kanazawa Medical University
• Principal Investigator: TABATA Masaji Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (40188404)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIURA Katsuyuki Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (90257452) ; NISHIJO Muneko Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (40198461) ; MORIKAWA Yuko Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (20210156) ; NAKAGAWA Hideaki Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University Professor, 医学部, 教授 (00097437)
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1996
• Keywords: Pneumoconiosis / Cytokines / TNF alpha / IL-1 beta / TGF beta / IL-8 / Chest X-ray Categories / Inflammation

Research Abstract

Recently, it has been reported that inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. To clarify the roles of cytokines in altered systemic inflammatory and immunological reactions related to pulmonary fibrosis in pneumoconiosis we investigated several kinds of cytokines in sera among migrant workers exposed to silica dust.. The subjects were 82 migrant male workers aged over 65 years living in the eastern part of Toyama Prefecture, and the controls were 42 similar aged male inhabitants living in N town in Ishikawa Prefecture. The concentrations of TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, TGF beta, IL-8 in sera of the subjects and controls were measured by ELISA method. The following results were obtained ; The positive rates of TNF alpha, IL-1 beta of dust exposed subjects were higher than those of controls, when the cut off levels were defined as 20pg/ml, for TNF alpha which is 75% tile level of controls, and for IL-1 beta 5pg/ml which is the lower limit value of the measurement. However, significant differences of the positive rates of TGF beta and IL-8 were not recognized between dust exposed subjects and the controls. Among dust exposed subjects, the positive rate of TNF alpha of the subjects with chest X-ray categories 1 and 2-4 was more than that of the subjects with category 0. The positive rate of IL-1 beta of the subjects with chest X-ray categories 2-4 was also increased in comparison with the subjects with categories 0 and 1. The levels of ESR and the positive rates of CRP and RAHA of TNF alpha positive subjects were higher those of TNF alpha negative subjects. Anemia was more frequent among IL-1 beta positive subjects, and the levels of pulmonary functions of IL-1 beta positive subjects were better than those of IL-1 beta negative subjects.
In these results, the levels of TNF alpha and IL-1 beta in dust exposed workers due to tunneling were increased, and it was suggested that this is related to inflammatory and immunological change caused by pulmonary fibrosis.