Fig. 4

SWCNTs induced lung injury. Inhalation of SWCNTs could up-regulate chemokines, proteinases and several macrophage receptors, also resulting in NF-κB-related inflammatory responses, which play roles in lung pathology including airway hyperreaction, airflow obstruction and granuloma. In vitro experiments indicated that the cell-cell interaction of bronchoalveolar macrophages with lung epithelial cells induced MMP12 and cathepsin K. Blocking NF-κB with PDTC could attenuate SWCNTs-induced chemokine and proteinase expression