Impact of Coal Dust in Gastric Cancer and Defense Mechanisms

摘要

In efforts to further define the role of exposure to coal dust in subsequent development of gastric cancer, several studies have been performed and were highlighted in the report. Studies on the mutagenicity of different ranks of coal dust were conducted using the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity assay system. High mutagenic activity was found when extracts of bituminous, sub bituminous, and lignite coal dust were reacted with nitrite, a chemical found in the stomach, under acidic conditions. Studies on the effect of coal dust and its extracts on the interferon system indicated that nitrosated coal dust extracts at acidic conditions contain substances which are highly mutagenic and inhibitory for interferon induction. Virus infection studies were performed with the cytochrome-P-450 enzyme in efforts to understand the relationship between xenobiotic metabolism and antiviral activity in mice exposed to coal dust.