[Effect of silica dust on protein oxidative injury in lung tissue of mice]

Objective: To investigate the effect of silica dust on protein oxidative injury in the lung tissue of mice. Methods: A total of 60 mice were randomly divided into control group (not exposed to dust) , 2-hour group (inhalation of dust for 2 hours per day) , 4-hour group (inhalation of dust for 4 hours per day) , and 8-hour group (inhalation of dust for 8 hours per day) , with 15 mice in each group. During dust exposure, the mice were placed in a dust exposure cabinet; the dust was blown with an air blower and the concentration was maintained at 125 mg/m(3). All mice were exposed to silica dust for 3 weeks. The changes of the lung were observed after dust exposure ended, and spectrophotometry was performed to measure the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl in the lung tissue. Results: The 2-, 4-, and 8-hour groups had marked edema, sporadic punctate hemorrhage, and nodular shadow in the lungs. Compared with the control group, the 2-, 4-, and 8-hour groups had a significant increase in lung coefficient (7.03±0.78 mg/g, 8.48±0.93 mg/g, and 8.99±0.85 mg/g vs 5.52±0.81 mg/g, P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the 2-, 4-, and 8-hour groups had significant increases in the content of MDA (2.83±0.52, 3.94±0.65, and 4.56±0.77 nmol/mg prot vs 1.26±0.36 nmol/mg prot, P<0.05) and protein carbonyl (1.61±0.44, 1.96±0.47, and 2.20±0.58 nmol/mg prot vs 1.13±0.21 nmol/mg prot, P<0.05) in lung tissue. The 4- and 8-hour groups had a significantly lower activity of SOD than the control group (153.69±20.58 and 140.35±18.97 U/mg prot vs 186.00±25.46 U/mg prot, P<0.05) . Conclusions: Silica dust may lead to protein oxidative injury in the lung tissue of mice, which might play an important role in lung injury.