OBJECTIVETo measure the peripheral serum levels of CC-chemokine ligand-18 (CCL-18) in patients with pneumoconiosis, and to investigate the feasibility of the index asa potential biomarker for pneumoconiosis.

METHODSSeventy-seven male patients with pneumoconiosis (stage 1:40 cases, stage 2:22 cases, stage 3:15 cases), including 42 cases of silicosis and 35 cases of coal worker pneumoconiosis, were enrolled as subjects, and 162 healthy male physical examinees in our hospital were used as controls. A fasting blood sample (3 ml) was collected from the peripheral venous blood of each patient or control. The CCL-18 concentration in serum was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSThe serum CCL-18 concentrations of the patients with pneumoconiosis were significantly higher than those of the controls [(116.70 ± 82.85) ng/ml vs. (83.34 ± 64.83) ng/ml]; (Z = -2.389, P < 0.05). The serum CCL-18 concentrations of the patients with silicosis were significantly higher than those of the patients with coal worker pneumoconiosis (147.02 ± 93.32 ng/ml vs. 96.43 ± 47.19 ng/ml; Z = -3.030, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum CCL-18 concentration among different stages of pneumoconiosis (P > 0.05). The degree of respiratory impairment was positively correlated with the serum CCL-18 concentration in patients with pneumoconiosis (r = 0.611, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSerum CCL-18 level can be used as a potential biomarker for pneumoconiosis.