The respiratory health impact of Asian
sand dust events originating in the deserts of China has become a concern within China and in its neighboring countries. We examined the effects of Asian
sand dust particles (ASDPs) on gene expression in the murine lung using microarray analysis and elucidated the components responsible for
lung inflammation. Male ICR mice were intratracheally administrated ASDPs, heat-treated ASDPs (ASDP-F, lipopolysaccaride [LPS], or
beta-glucan free), or
kaolin particles. We performed microarray analysis for murine lungs, the results of which were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also assessed the
protein expression and histologic changes. Exposure to ASDP, ASDP-F, or
kaolin upregulated (>2-fold) 112, 36, or 9 genes, respectively, compared with vehicle exposure. In particular, ASDP exposure markedly enhanced inflammatory response-related genes, including
chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1/keratinocyte-derived
chemokine,
chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2/macrophage inflammatory protein-2,
chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3/macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, and
chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10/
interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (>6-fold). The results were correlated with those of the quantitative RT-PCR and the
protein expression analyses in overall trend. In contrast, exposure to ASDP-F attenuated the enhanced expression of these proinflammatory molecules.
Kaolin exposure increased the expression of genes and
proteins for the
chemokines. In histopathologic changes, exposure to ASDP prominently enhanced pulmonary neutrophilic
inflammation, followed by
kaolin and ASDP-F exposure in the order. Taken together, exposure to ASDP causes
pulmonary inflammation via the expression of proinflammatory molecules, which can be attributed to LPS and
beta-glucan absorbed in ASDPs. Furthermore, microarray analysis should be effective for identifying potentially novel genes, sensitive
biomarkers, and pathways involved in the health effects of the exposure to environmental particles (e.g., ASDPs).