Effects of formaldehyde inhalation on lung of rats

OBJECTIVE: To analyze protein changes in the lung of Wistar rats exposed to gaseous formaldehyde (FA) at 32-37 mg/m3 for 4 h/day for 15 days using proteomics technique. METHODS: Lung samples were solubilized and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), and gel patterns were scanned and analyzed for detection of differently expressed protein spots. These protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS and NCBInr protein database searching. RESULTS: Four proteins were altered significantly in 32-37 mg/m3 FA group, with 3 proteins up-regulated, 1 protein down-regulated. The 4 proteins were identified as aldose reductase, LIM protein, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and chloride intracellular channel 3. CONCLUSION: The four proteins are related to cell proliferation induced by FA and defense reaction of anti-oxidation. Proteomics is a powerful tool in research of environmental health, and has prospects in search for protein markers for disease diagnosis and monitoring.