OBJECTIVETo analyze the differences in serum proteomic profiles between patients with silicosis and chronic bronchitis and to investigate the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of these two disease.

METHODSSerum samples from patients with stage I silicosis and chronic bronchitis were collected. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed and protein plots with expression differences higher than 2-fold were identified and further analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

RESULTSCompared with the silicosis group, the chronic bronchitis group had 11 up-regulated proteins and 23 down-regulated proteins. The chronic bronchitis group had high expression of proteins such as interferon beta precursor, apolipoprotein precursor, and transforming growth factor beta1 precursor. The silicosis group had high expression of proteins such as interleukin-6, granzyme A, cathepsin G, and glycoprotein precursor.

CONCLUSIONThe differentially expressed proteins are mainly involved in the activity of serine enzymes, cytotoxicity, inflammation response, and apolipoprotein transfer and play different roles in silicosis and chronic bronchitis.