N-Cadherin, ADAM-10 and Aquaporin 1 expression in lung tissue exposed to fluoro- edenite fibers: an immunohistochemical study
Giuseppe Musumeci1*, Carla Loreto1*, Marta Anna Szychlinska1, Rosa Imbesi1, Venerando Rapisarda2, Flavia Concetta Aiello1, Sergio Castorina1 and Paola Castrogiovanni1
1Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine and 2Division of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital “Policlinico- Vittorio Emanuele”, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
*Joint first authors
Offprint requests to: Dr. Giuseppe. Musumeci, Ph.D, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy. e-mail: g.musumeci@unict.it
Summary. Fluoro-edenite (FE) fibers are similar to other amphibole asbestos fibers. The scientific relevance of FE is due to its ability to lead to chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis in lung tissue shown after its inhalation. These fibers stimulate aberrant host cell proliferation and induce the release of cytokines, growth factors, reactive oxygen and nitrite species, which results in DNA damage. In previous studies, we showed that FE induces functional modifications in sheep and human lung fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial cells, where the overexpression of several molecules probably involved in pathological cellular mechanisms induced by FE exposition have been detected. However, the mechanisms of cellular and molecular toxicity and the cellular response to FE fibers are still not well known. N-cadherin, ADAM-10 and AQP1 are molecules involved in carcinogenesis and in inflammatory process. In this study we analyzed, through immunohisto-chemistry, their expression in the lung tissue of sheep exposed to FE. Our results showed different patterns of immunolabeling for N-cadherin, ADAM-10 and AQP1. N-cadherin and ADAM-10 were more expressed in FE exposed lung tissue, when compared with the control. On the contrary, AQP1 was more expressed in non exposed lung tissue. These results suggest that N-Cadherin, ADAM-10 and AQP1 are probably involved in different pathological processes induced by FE fiber exposition. The aim of the study was to better understand the mechanisms of cellular and molecular toxicity and of cellular response to FE fibers in order to identify, in the future, a possible therapeutic intervention in cases of FE-associated pathogenesis. Histol Histopathol 30, 987-999 (2015)
Key words: Fluoro-edenite fibers, N-cadherin, ADAM-10, AQP1, lung tissue
DOI: 10.14670/HH-11-603