Plasma Metabolic Profiling in Patients with Silicosis and Asbestosis.

OBJECTIVES To explore the circulating metabolites and related pathways in silicosis and asbestosis exposure to different mineral dusts. METHODS Plasma of 30 silicosis, 30 asbestosis, and 20 healthy controls was analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Metabolic networks and the relevance of the identified metabolic derangements were explored. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, 37 and 39 dysregulated plasma metabolites were found in silicosis and asbestosis respectively, of which the levels of 22 metabolites differed. Three major pathways were identified, among which arginine and proline metabolism was identified as the most closely related metabolic pathway. CONCLUSIONS The types and quantities of up-regulated metabolites including lipids, amino acids, and carnitines were differed between silicosis and asbestosis. Pathways inducing lung fibrosis were common to mineral dusts exposure, while pathways related to oxidative stress and tumorigenesis differed between silicosis and asbestosis.