Table 1.
Articles selected for the integrative review on inflammatory biomarkers in silica exposure
| Authors | Objective(s) | Type of study | Population | Biomarkers | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanco-Pérez et al.22 | To determine the clinical significance of specific biomarkers, to estimate their association with the development, severity, and/or progression of silicosis, and identify determinants of this evolution | Prospective observational study from 2009 to 2018 | 337 exposed to silica (278 with silicosis) and 30 subjects in the control group | IL-6, IL-2R, IL-1B, IL-8, TNF-α, TGF-β1; AAT; CRP; LDH; ferritin | Spain |
| Scalia Carneiro et al.23 | To evaluate inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in subjects exposed to silica | Cross-sectional | 34 crystal craftsmen currently exposed, 35 formerly exposed, and 12 nonexposed | BMP2; chemokines CXCL16 and CCL5 | Brazil |
| Braz et al.24 | To evaluate plasma levels of biomarkers | Cross-sectional | 57 subjects exposed to silica, 36 with silicosis, and 22 unexposed | CCL2, CCL3, CCL11, CCL24; TNF-α, sTNFR1, sTNFR2; eotaxin | Brazil |
| Braz et al.25 | To evaluate plasma levels of inflammatory mediators in subjects exposed to silica | Cross-sectional | 30 subjects exposed to silica, 24 unexposed | IL-6, IL-1b, IL-10, TNF-a, sTNFR or sTNFR2 | Brazil |
| Ophir et al.26 | To demonstrate the direct effect of ultrafine particles in the lungs of workers exposed to artificial stone dust | Cross-sectional | 68 workers exposed and 48 nonexposed individuals | IL-6, IL-8; TNF-α | Israel |
| Anlar et al.27 | To investigate the effects of occupational silica exposure on oxidative stress parameters | Cross-sectional | 99 male Turkish ceramics workers and 81 unexposed male office workers | SOD; CAT; glutathione; GR; GPx; GSH; TBARS; IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10; TNF-α | Turkey |
| Ganesan et al.28 | To investigate modulation by silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and evaluate cytokine release profiles and immunoglobulin levels across different exposures to SiNPs | Cross-sectional | 4 patients with silicosis and 4 unexposed healthy controls | IgM and IgG; IL-1b, IL-6, IL-10, IL-4 and IFN-γ | Belgium |
| Jiang et al.29 | To examine plasma levels of TNF-α and MMP-9 | Cross-sectional | 30 unexposed healthy controls, 28 individuals exposed to silica but without silicosis, and 30 with silicosis | TNF-α; MMP-9 | China |
| Miao et al.30 | To assess change in proteomic profile during the early stages of silicosis | Cross-sectional | 15 unexposed healthy controls, 15 individuals exposed to silica but without silicosis, and 15 with silicosis | TNFs, IFN-β precursor, IL-6, TNFR13BV, and IL-17F | China |
| Sun et al.31 | To investigate the therapeutic effect of N-acetylcysteine combined with tetrandrine | Cross-sectional | 196 patients with silicosis; 108 received routine treatment and 88 received tetrandrine combined with N-acetylcysteine | IL-6; TNF‑α | China |
| Tan et al.32 | To investigate whether exposure to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) can exacerbate fibrosis | Cross-sectional | 12 male workers exposed to silica | Cleaved caspase-3; IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α | China |
| Liu et al.33 | To analyze the inflammatory response in workers with silicosis | Cross-sectional | 12 workers with stage I silicosis, 17 with stage II silicosis, 30 with stage III silicosis, and 14 healthy controls | sRAGE; TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β1, and LDL-ox | China |
| Zhang et al.34 | To investigate levels of Clara cell 16-kDa protein and IL-12 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid | Cross-sectional | 79 patients with silicosis at various stages: 41 with stage I silicosis, 25 with stage II silicosis, and 13 with stage III silicosis | CC16; IL-12 | China |
AAT = alfa-1 antitrypsin; BMP2 = bone morphogenetic protein 2; CAT = catalase; CC16 = Clara cell protein 16; CCL = chemokine ligand; GPx = glutathione peroxidase; GR = glutathione reductase; GSH = glutathione; IL = interleukin; IL2R = IL-2 receptor; LDH = lactate dehydrogenase; LPS = lipopolysaccharide; MMP = matrix metalloproteinase; CRP = C-reactive protein; SiNPs = silica nanoparticles; SOD = superoxide dismutase; sRAGE = soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products; sTNFR = soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor; TBARS = thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TGF = transforming growth factor ; IgM = immunoglobulin M; IgG = immunoglobulin G; IFN = interferon; LDL = low-density lipoprotein.