Cellular Response to Coal In vitro CWP (Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis)

摘要

Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) was studied at the cellular levels using samples of Pennsylvania (PC) and Utah (UC) coal placed in contact with cultured mammalian cells. The growth of mammalian cells was depressed by both types of coal, with the depression caused by PC being much greater. The concentration of nickel in leachates compared most closely with biological activity. There may be more occurrences of CWP in workers exposed to PC than UC not only because PC coal has more respirable particles, but also because the leachate substances appear to be more toxic. The hydroxyproline level of cell layer collagen was decreased when the cells were exposed to coal leachates. An accumulation of collagenous tissue is found in the lungs of miners suffering from CWP. Human lung fibroblasts in culture produced increased amounts of collagen fibers when treated with a substance known to enhance collagen synthesis in-vivo. Collagen seen in the lungs of miners suffering from CWP may arise by a different process or as a secondary response to damage in the lung.