Transcriptome profile analysis reveals a silica-induced immune response and fibrosis in a silicosis rat model.

Silicosis is a type of pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of silica dust. It is characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the lung. Although many studies have reported that crystalline silica-inhalation into the lung initiates the immune response, activating effector cells and triggering the inflammatory cascade with subsequent elaboration of the extracellular matrix and fibrosis, the mechanism of silicosis pathogenesis remains unclear.