Objective: This study focused on the proteomicchanges between workers exposed to methylbenzene (WMB) and healthy individuals (HI) . Methods: The serum of WMB and HI was collected and the unmarked label free mass spectrometry was utilized for protein identification and quantitative comparison. The differentlyexpressed proteins in WMB and the HI were screened, followed by the analysis of protein and biological functions by bioinformatics tools. Results: Thirty nine proteins were differently expressed between WMB and HI. Compared with HI, 24 proteins were up regulated and 15 proteins were down regulated over 2 fold change in WMB. Theseproteins were mainly involved in signal transduction, serine endopeptidase activity, inflammatory response, protein modification, stress reaction, coagulation reaction and so on. Conclusion The differently expressed proteins provide a potential protein marker for the health assessment of WMB and early diagnosis of methylbenzene poisioning and expand our understanding of the molecular mechanism of methylbenzene intoxication.

Cardiovascular System ; drug effects ; Humans ; Hydrocarbons, Brominated ; toxicity ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in serum protease and cytokine in patients with silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer.

METHODSSerum samples of patients with silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer were collected. The variation trends of the expression of granzyme A, cathepsin G, apolipoprotein A, and interferon-β (IFN-β) were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSThe concentration of apolipoprotein A of the silicosis group was 200 µg/ml, significantly higher than those of the tuberculosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the lung cancer group had a significantly higher concentration of apolipoprotein A compared with the tuberculosis group (P < 0.05). The silicosis group had significantly higher expression of cathepsin G compared with the tuberculosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the tuberculosis group and lung cancer group showed no significant difference in the concentration of cathepsin G (P > 0.05). The tuberculosis group had a significantly higher concentration of granzyme A than the silicosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the silicosis group and lung cancer group had similar protein concentration trends (P > 0.05). The tuberculosis group and lung cancer group had significantly higher concentration of IFN-β compared with the silicosis group (P < 0.05), and the tuberculosis group and lung cancer group showed no significant difference in IFN-β concentration (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThis study may offer diagnostic markers for the clinical diagnosis of silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer, and could provide a basis for the research, as well as potential molecular targets for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.

Biomarkers ; Cathepsin G ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; blood ; Endopeptidases ; blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Granzymes ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferon-beta ; metabolism ; Lung Neoplasms ; enzymology ; Silicosis ; enzymology ; Tuberculosis ; enzymology