Plasma club cell secretory protein reflects early lung injury: comprehensive epidemiological evidence.

Jiajun WEI; Jinyu WU; Hongyue KONG; Liuquan JIANG; Yong WANG; Ying GUO; Quan FENG; Jisheng NIE; Yiwei SHI; Xinri ZHANG; Xiaomei KONG; Xiao YU; Gaisheng LIU; Fan YANG; Jun DONG; Jin YANG

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Plasma club cell secretory protein reflects early lung injury: comprehensive epidemiological evidence.

Author: Jiajun WEI ¹ ; Jinyu WU ¹ ; Hongyue KONG ¹ ; Liuquan JIANG ² ; Yong WANG ¹ ; Ying GUO ¹ ; Quan FENG ¹ ; Jisheng NIE ¹ ; Yiwei SHI ³ ; Xinri ZHANG ³ ; Xiaomei KONG ³ ; Xiao YU ³ ; Gaisheng LIU ² ; Fan YANG ² ; Jun DONG ² ; Jin YANG ¹
Author Information

1. MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, NHC Key Laboratory of Pneumoconiosis, Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impairment and Prevention.
2. Xishan Coal Electricity Corporation Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Institute.
3. NHC Key Laboratory of Pneumoconiosis, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Medical University.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Club cell secretory protein; Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis; Cumulative respiratory dust exposure; Lung function
MeSH: Uteroglobin/blood*; Humans; Dust/analysis*; Occupational Exposure/analysis*; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Retrospective Studies; Lung Injury/chemically induced*; Coal Mining; Biomarkers/blood*; China/epidemiology*; Air Pollutants, Occupational; Female
From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():26-26
CountryJapan
Language:English
Abstract: BACKGROUND:It is inaccurate to reflect the level of dust exposure through working years. Furthermore, identifying a predictive indicator for lung function decline is significant for coal miners. The study aimed to explored whether club cell secretory protein (CC16) levels can reflect early lung function changes.
METHODS:The cumulative respiratory dust exposure (CDE) levels of 1,461 coal miners were retrospectively assessed by constructed a job-exposure matrix to replace working years. Important factors affecting lung function and CC16 were selected by establishing random forest models. Subsequently, the potential of CC16 to reflect lung injury was explored from multiple perspectives. First, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to compare the trends of changes in lung function indicators and plasma CC16 levels after dust exposure. Then mediating analysis was performed to investigate the role of CC16 in the association between dust exposure and lung function decline. Finally, the association between baseline CC16 levels and follow-up lung function was explored.
RESULTS:The median CDE were 35.13 mg/m³-years. RCS models revealed a rapid decline in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), and their percentages of predicted values when CDE exceeded 25 mg/m³-years. The dust exposure level (<5 mg/m³-years) causing significant changes in CC16 was much lower than the level (25 mg/m³-years) that caused changes in lung function indicators. CC16 mediated 11.1% to 26.0% of dust-related lung function decline. Additionally, workers with low baseline CC16 levels experienced greater reductions in lung function in the future.
CONCLUSIONS:CC16 levels are more sensitive than lung indicators in reflecting early lung function injury and plays mediating role in lung function decline induced by dust exposure. Low baseline CC16 levels predict poor future lung function.