Fig. 10

Stone particles activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in THP-1 macrophages. HBEC3-KT cells and THP-1 macrophages were exposed to 200 μg/mL quartzite, anorthosite, rhomb porphyry, dacite, quartz diorite, hornfels and α-quartz for 12 h. Western blot analysis was used to determine the levels of NLRP3 and ASC in the cell lysate (a and c), ASC oligomers in cross-linked pellets (c), and cleaved caspase-1 and IL-1β in the cell culture supernatant (d). NLRP3 expression in cell lysates was also measured using ELISA (b). The results of the western blot analyses are presented as representative blots of cell culture supernatant (Sup), cell lysates (Lys) and insoluble pellets (Pel), and the mean ± SD relative band intensity of three independent experiments. The band intensity values in c has been normalized to the ASC expression in the cell lysates (Input). ELISA results are presented as mean ± SD (n = 3) and are normalized to the total protein concentration in each sample