title: [The study on the change of extracellular histones in human plasma during the pathogenesis of silicosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the plasma level of extracellular histones in patients with silicosis, and to explore the role of extracellular histones in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two patients with silicosis were enrolled as the silicosis group, consisting of 23 patients with stage I silicosis, 25 with stage II silicosis, and 14 with stage III silicosis; sixty workers who had a history of occupational exposure to silica dust for more than 2 years and had not been diagnosed with silicosis were enrolled as the silica dust exposure group; sixty-five healthy workers without a history of occupational exposure to dust were enrolled as healthy controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to measure the plasma levels of plasma extracellular histone (H4) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls [(0.82±0.67) μg/ml], the silica dust exposure group[(4.14±2.85) μg/ml] and silicosis group[(9.50±5.04) μg/ml] had significant increases in plasma level of H4 (P<0.01). The plasma level of H4 was significantly correlated with the stage of silicosis(r=0.8955, P=0.0388). The silicosis group had a significantly higher plasma level of TGF-β than the silica dust exposure group and healthy controls(P <0.05). In the patients with silicosis, the plasma level of H4 was significantly correlated with that of TGF-β(r=0.5375, P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The plasma level of extracellular histones increases significantly in the pathogenesis of silicosis, and extracellular histones may play an important role in the progression of fibrosis in silicosis.
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Yanglin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Cuicui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Shuqiang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Jinyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D004391:Dust; D006657:Histones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D012829:Silicosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D006657:Histones; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D012822:Silicon Dioxide