RT journal article
T1 Analysis of Immune Cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood from Patients with Engineered Stone Silica-Induced Lung Inflammation
A1 Jiménez-Gómez, Gema
A1 Campos Caro, Antonio
A1 García Núñez, Alejandro
A1 Gallardo-García, Alberto
A1 Molina-Hidalgo, Antonio
A1 León Jiménez, Antonio
A2 BiomedicinaBiotecnología y Salud Pública
K1 artificial stone
K1 human
K1 immune cell subsets
K1 lymphocytes
K1 silicosis
AB Silicosis caused by engineered stone (ES-silicosis) is an emerging worldwide issue characterized by inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs. To our knowledge, only a few reports have investigated leukocyte/lymphocyte subsets in ES-silicosis patients. The present study was designed to explore the proportions of the main lymphocyte subsets in ES-silicosis patients stratified into two groups, one with simple silicosis (SS) and the other with a more advanced state of the disease, defined as progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). The proportions of B (memory and plasmablasts) cells, T (helper, cytotoxic, regulatory) cells, and natural killer (NK) (regulatory and cytotoxic) cells were investigated by multiparameter flow cytometry in 91 ES-silicosis patients (53 SS patients and 38 PMF patients) and 22 healthy controls (HC). Although the total number of leukocytes did not differ between the groups studied, lymphopenia was observed in patients compared to healthy controls. Compared with those in healthy controls, the proportions of memory B cells, naïve helper T cells, and the CD4+/CD8+ T cells’ ratio in the peripheral blood of patients with silicosis were significantly decreased, while the percentages of plasma cells, memory helper T cells, and regulatory T cells were significantly increased. For the NK cell subsets, no significant differences were found between the groups studied. These results revealed altered cellular immune processes in the peripheral blood of patients with ES-silicosis and provided further insight into silicosis pathogenesis.
PB Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
SN 1422-0067
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33840
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33840
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 14-nov-2026