Expression And Significance Of TGF β 1, MMP-2 And TIMP-2 In Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis

Objective: To investigate the expression levels and their relationship of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2(TIMP-2) in coal workers pneumoconiosis(CWP), and the possibility of being early diagnostic indexes for coal workers pneumoconiosis. And to elucidate the pathogenesis of coal workers pneumoconiosis may provide the theoretical evidence.Methods: 80 cases with complete information and serum samples are collected and divided into three groups, 40 with different categories of CWP patients, 20 with healthy controls and 20 with control subjects exposed to dust, ELISA was used to detect the levels of TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2 in serum. 40 cases of CWP patients were performed whole lung lavage, ELISA was used to detect the level of TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2 in whole lung lavage fluid, 40 cases of CWP patients cells in whole lung lavage TGF-β1, MMP-2 and TIMP-2mRNA levels were detected by RT-PCR, then process the data.Results:①Every categories CWP patients had higher concentrations of serum TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2 and ratios of MMP-2/TIMP-2 than healthy controls, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), compared with control subjects exposed to dust, serum TGF-β1, TIMP-2 in categories II, III CWP had higher concentrations, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05), while contents of serum MMP-2 in categories I, II CWP had higher expression, the difference was statistically significance (P<0.05), the levels of serum TGF-β1, TIMP-2 in category III CWP had higher expression, Comparison with the category I, the ratios of MMP-2/TIMP-2 in categories II, III CWP was increased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that three factors in case group showed a positive correlation, the correlation was statistically significant (P<0.05), three factors in controls showed a positive correlation, the correlation was statistically significant (P<0.05).②Comparison with category I, the levels of lavage fluid TGF-β1, TIMP-2 had higher in categories II and III, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), the concentrations of lavage fluid MMP-2 was a degradation trend compared with category I CWP, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05), the ratio of MMP-2/TIMP-2 was decreased in category III CWP, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).③Comparison with category I CWP, the levels of lavage fluid TGF-β1and TIMP-2mRNA had higher in category III, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), but the expression of MMP-2mRNA tends to increase, the ratio of MMP-2/TIMP-2mRNA was increased in category II, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), the ratio of fluid MMP-2/TIMP-2mRNA in category III was lower than category II, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), Correlation analysis showed that serum TGF-β1, MMP-2 and TIMP-2, respectively, and the whole lung lavage TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2 levels were positively correlated (P<0.05), there was no correlation between levels of whole lung lavage fluid TGF-β1 protein expression and TGF-β1mRNA, TIMP-2 protein expression and TIMP-2mRNA, MMP-2 protein expression and MMP-2mRNA, the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).Conclusion:①The higher expression of serum TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2 might be related to the occurrence and development of CWP.②With the change of lavage fluid TGF-β1, TIMP-2 protein and gene expression levels, and correlation of the serum and lavage TGF-β1, TIMP-2, suggesting that the serum TGF-β1 and TIMP-2 could indirectly reflect the severity of the disease.③The positive correlation was higher among Serum TGF-β1, MMP-2, TIMP-2, TGF-β1, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 play a key role in the occurrence and development of CWP.