Precancerous change and expression of RAGE and S100A6 in lung tissue of rats chronically exposed to radon

Abstract

Objective To observe the changes in pathology and expression of RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) and S100A6 in lung tissue of rats exposed to long-term radon inhalation. Methods Healthy Wistar male rats were exposed to radon in a multifunctional radon chamber 16 h per day for about 27 month at a cumulative dose of up to 650 WLM. Pathological changes were observed and the protein expression of PCNA(proliferating cell nuclear antigen) , RAGE and S100A6 were determined using Western blot. Results In lung tissue of rats exposed to radon, inflammation, emphysema and hyperplasy of alveolar epithelial cells were observed, and expressions of PCNA, RAGE and S100A6 were found to be enhanced(PCNA: 0.0067 ±0.009 in control group, 0.174 ± 0.091 in radon exposed group; RAGE: 0.0041 ± 0.006 in control, and 0.4372±0.291 in radon exposed group;S100A6: 0.069±0.055 in control, and 0.493 ± 0.049 in radon exposed group). Conclusion Long-term radon inhalation may cause pathological changes and precancerous change in lung tissues and up-regulated expressions of RAGE and S100A6 proteins. Key words: Radon; Rat; Lung tissue; Receptor for advanced glycation endproducts; Calcium binding protein A6