Pneumoproteins and markers of inflammation and platelet activation in the blood of grain dust exposed workers

Straumfors, Anne; Eduard, Wijnand; Heldal, Kari Kulvik; Skogstad, Marit; Barregård, Lars; Ellingsen, Dag G.

doi:10.1080/1354750x.2018.1485057

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Dust exposure may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by inducing oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory pathways 29 . Although we did not find any support of increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to grain dust induced platelet activation in a previous study 27 , it is possible that exposure may induce effects at the level of miRNA regulation.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the miR-124-3p, that also was upregulated in the exposed workers, showed association with asthma and inflammation. These findings are particularly interesting, as COPD, asthma, and inflammation are relevant outcomes for grain dust exposed workers 3,25,27 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The pneumoproteins and other inflammatory markers in blood were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as previously described 27 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Age (year) a 45 49 Height (cm) a 180 178 Weight (kg) a 89 (63-121) 90 Body mass index (kg/m 2 ) a 27 (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) 27 (23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32) Cold (in %) 19 27 Farm childhood (in %) 36 46…”

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confidence: 99%

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Circulating miRNAs as molecular markers of occupational grain dust exposure

Straumfors

Duale

Foss

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Dust from grain and feed production may cause adverse health effects in exposed workers. In this study we explored circulating miRNAs as potential biomarkers of occupational grain dust exposure. Twenty-two serum miRNAs were analyzed in 44 grain dust exposed workers and 22 controls. Exposed workers had significantly upregulated miR-18a-5p, miR-124-3p and miR-574-3p, and downregulated miR-19b-3p and miR-146a-5p, compared to controls. Putative target genes for the differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in a range of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes signaling pathways, and 'Pathways in cancer' and 'Wnt signaling pathway' were common for all the five miRNAs. MiRNA-diseases association analysis showed a link between the five identified miRNAs and several lung diseases terms. A positive correlation between miR-124-3p, miR-18a-5p, and miR-574-3p and IL-6 protein level was shown, while miR-19b-3p was inversely correlated with CC-16 and sCD40L protein levels. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis of the five miRNA showed that three miRNAs (miR-574-3p, miR-124-3p and miR-18a-5p) could distinguish the grain dust exposed group from the control group, with miR-574-3p as the strongest predictor of grain dust exposure. In conclusion, this study identified five signature miRNAs as potential novel biomarkers of grain dust exposure that may have potential as early disease markers. Workers at grain elevators and animal feed mills are exposed to grain dust containing a complex mixture of inorganic and organic particles from soil, plants, insects and microorganisms, and includes components such as endotoxins, β-1,3-glucans and mycotoxins 1,2. The individual dust components have the ability to induce inflammatory and allergic responses, and symptoms from the airways are frequently observed among grain handlers 3-8. Endotoxin has been proposed as a target for measurements of occupational health hazard of grain dust 9 , but depending on the grain dust composition, other components in the dust may be stronger associated with health effects. Diverging exposure-response relationships have indeed been observed between studies 2,3,10-12. Although exact mechanisms are not completely elucidated, the pathological response to grain dust exposure may include activation of inflammatory and allergic pathways. miRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by binding to specific mRNAs, which leads to either degradation of the mRNA or inhibition of translation, thus suppressing gene activity 13. Several studies have suggested that the toxicity of environmental chemicals are mediated by miRNAs 14 , and particular miRNA profiles have been associated with different diseases, such as asthma, COPD and cancer 15. Little is known about the miRNA induction following grain dust exposure. However, it is shown that miR-146a are induced by LPS and other proinflammatory mediators such as TNFα, IL-1β and CD40L 16. Epigenetic studies in mice models suggests a role for increased miR-146a in allergic rhinitis 17. Reduced exp...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The pneumoproteins and other inflammatory markers in blood were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as previously described 27 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Circulating miRNAs as molecular markers of occupational grain dust exposure

Straumfors

Duale

Foss

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Serum CC16 levels generally fall after chronic particle exposure (such as that resulting from tobacco smoking) due to the destruction of club cells; they generally rise after current exposure and in lung disorders that increase airway permeability [37, 38]. Studies have examined the response of CC16 serum levels to various exposures and in diverse populations, including garbage and waste water aerosols [39], asphalt workers [20] grain dust workers [40], wood smoke [41, 42], smoke [43, 44], ozone [45], chlorine [46] and outdoor air pollution particles [47]. In most cases, serum CC16 levels increased upon exposure to particles or chemical agents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory health and inflammatory markers - Exposure to respirable dust and quartz and chemical binders in Swedish iron foundries

et al. 2019

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PurposeTo study the relationship between respirable dust, quartz and chemical binders in Swedish iron foundries and respiratory symptoms, lung function (as forced expiratory volume FEV1 and vital capacity FVC), fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and levels of club cell secretory protein 16 (CC16) and CRP.MethodsPersonal sampling of respirable dust and quartz was performed for 85 subjects in three Swedish iron foundries. Full shift sampling and examination were performed on the second or third day of a working week after a work free weekend, with additional sampling on the fourth or fifth day. Logistic, linear and mixed model analyses were performed including, gender, age, smoking, infections, sampling day, body mass index (BMI) and chemical binders as covariates.ResultsThe adjusted average respirable quartz and dust concentrations were 0.038 and 0.66 mg/m3, respectively. Statistically significant increases in levels of CC16 were associated with exposure to chemical binders (p = 0.05; p = 0.01) in the regression analysis of quartz and respirable dust, respectively. Non-significant exposure-responses were identified for cumulative quartz and the symptoms asthma and breathlessness. For cumulative chemical years, non-significant exposure–response were observed for all but two symptoms. FENO also exhibited a non significant exposure-response for both quartz and respirable dust. No exposure-response was determined for FEV1 or FVC, CRP and respirable dust and quartz.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that early markers of pulmonary effect, such as increased levels of CC16 and FENO, are more strongly associated with chemical binder exposure than respirable quartz and dust in foundry environments.

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