Evelyn Jiang
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Steven Huang
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care / Medicine
Program:
Authors: Evelyn Jiang, Steven Huang
Session: Session 3: 11:00 am – 11: 50 am
Poster: 95
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an untreatable, chronic disease in which scar tissue in the lungs impacts breathing. The condition is irreversible and can get worse over time. Although there is no specific cause, there are multiple potential risk factors for IPF, including family history, smoking, and environmental exposure. Here, we focus on air pollution. As fibroblasts (a specific cell type in the lung) are the major effector cells of IPF, our project aims to answer how air pollution, specifically particulate matter, affects fibroblasts matrix production and function over time. We exposed CCL-210, a type of normal lung fibroblast cell line, to particulate matter of varying concentration. In some experiments, cells were exposed for a day, and in others, cells were exposed for five days. Afterwards, we collected RNA and protein from the cells and analyzed gene expression data through real-time PCR and western blots. These genes included collagen and alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA), which are both markers of myofibroblast differentiation and are activated when fibrosis occurs. After analyzing the data, we concluded that gene expression of collagen and alpha-SMA was not significantly changed in cells exposed for one or five days, but increased with repeated exposure. Additionally, there weren’t any discernible changes in alpha-SMA and collagen with particulate matter at different concentrations. This is in contrast to previous experiments that demonstrated an increase in these genes after multiple exposures. This suggests that single exposure of particulate matter does not affect expression of collagen or alpha-SMA and multiple exposures are needed to activate fibroblasts. The next step would be to examine how different concentrations and exposure conditions affect other fibroblast functions including cell senescence. With increasing incidence of IPF and air quality becoming a greater issue everyday due to our heavy reliance on carbon dioxide exerting machines, it is important to identify how air pollution might contribute to the development of IPF and eventually find a cure.
