2. Academic Validation
  3. The role and mechanism of lung microbiota in coal mine dust-induced NLRP3 inflammasome upregulate and lung injury

The role and mechanism of lung microbiota in coal mine dust-induced NLRP3 inflammasome upregulate and lung injury

  • Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22990. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06411-0.
Yao Zhang 1 2,  Jiaju Yan 2,  Yuan Ren 2,  Lifang Li 1,  Xiaojie You 3 4,  Yujia Xie 3 4,  Weihong Chen 3 4,  Hui Zhao # 5,  Dongming Wang # 6 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, NO.382 Wuyi Road，Xinghualing District, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi, P.R. China.
  • 2 The Second Clinical Medical college, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
  • 3 Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, NO. 13 Hangkong Road, Qiaokou District, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, P.R. China.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
  • 5 Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, NO.382 Wuyi Road，Xinghualing District, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi, P.R. China. hui_zhao@sxmu.edu.cn.
  • 6 Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, NO. 13 Hangkong Road, Qiaokou District, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, P.R. China. wangdm@hust.edu.cn.
  • 7 Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environmental Protection, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. wangdm@hust.edu.cn.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 40594884 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-06411-0
Abstract

The exact molecular mechanisms of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) are still unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the lung microbiota may contribute to the development of CWP. The rats were divided into five groups, including the control group, CWP group, silicosis group, CWP + Antibiotic group, and CWP + MCC950 group. An animal model of CWP and silicosis was established using a non-exposed tracheal instillation method. The CWP + Antibiotic group was treated with drinking and nasal drip broad-spectrum Antibiotics in CWP rats, while the CWP + MCC950 group received intraperitoneal injections of NLRP3 inhibitors MCC950 in CWP rats. 16S rRNA Sequencing was used to detect the lung microbiota in rats. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to detect the expression of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), Caspase-1, IL-1β, Collagen I, and fibronectin. The lung microbiota of exposed to coal dust exhibits an increase in Firmicutes, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus, and decreases in Bacteroidota, Rothia, Achromobacter, and Lactobacillus, and an increase in mRNA levels of fibrotic and inflammatory markers. Antibiotic intervention and MCC950 had consistent impacts on the predominant microbiota in the lungs and the changes are essentially in opposition to the trends found in the CWP and control groups, whereas mRNA levels of fibrotic and inflammatory markers reduced. The richness of some prominent Bacterial communities changed as a result of coal dust exposure, which could be a contributing factor to the inflammation and fibrosis caused by coal dust. Lung microbiota may serve as a key pathogenic mechanism in CWP.

Keywords

Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis; Fibrosis; Inflammation; Lung microbiota; Nod-like receptor binding protein 3.

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