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Updated: Jul 24, 2026
A Rat Methyl-Seq Platform to Identify Epigenetic Changes Associated with Stress Exposure
Published on: October 24, 2018
The Gut Microbiome and Metabolomics Profiles of Dust-exposed Rats
Xi Shen1, Miaomiao Wang1, Shasha Pei1
1Hebei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety for Coal Industry, School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, 063210, P.R. China.
Introduction:
Limited treatments for silicosis necessitate further study of pneumoconiosis characteristics and pathophysiology. This study employs metabolomics to investigate metabolite changes and identify biomarkers for understanding pneumoconiosis pathogenesis.
Methods:
18 healthy SPF male SD rats were divided into three groups: control, coal dust, and silica. Rats were exposed to coal dust, silica, or sterile saline for 8 weeks, after which blood, lung tissue, and feces were collected. Lung pathology was assessed, and inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-11) were measured. 16S rDNA sequencing and UHPLC-QTOFMS metabolomics were used to analyze intestinal flora and fecal metabolites.
Results:
After 8 weeks of dust exposure, silica-exposed rats showed significantly reduced weight and elevated serum IL-6 and IL-11 levels compared to controls (P < 0.05). Lung tissue pathology revealed silica group rats exhibited lung damage, intensified inflammation, and silicon nodule formation. Coal dust group rats showed lung tissue changes with fibroblast aggregation. ? diversity analysis showed decreased Shannon index and increased Simpson index in the coal dust group, and a decreased Simpson index in the silica group. ? diversity analysis confirmed significant differences in gut microbiota between dustexposed groups and controls. Metabolomics identified 11 differential metabolites in rat feces, meeting criteria of Fold change > 2, VIP > 1, and P < 0.05.
Discussion:
Dust exposure disrupts intestinal flora and metabolic state, with potential metabolic markers identified in both coal dust and silica groups, implicating fructose and mannose metabolism in coal dust exposure and sphingolipid metabolism in silica exposure.
