Silicon Carbide Induced Pneumoconiosis: A Microscopic and Biochemical Experimental Study

Silicon Carbide Induced Pneumoconiosis: A Microscopic and Biochemical Experimental Study: Marilena PETRAN, et al. Hospital of Occupational Medicine Cluj-Napoca—The pneumoconiogenic effects of silicon carbide were studied in an experimental model by intratracheal instillation of a dose of 50 mg silicon carbide, standardized and commercialized by Duke Scientific Corporation, in a group of 30 guinea pigs killed at 40, 70 and 100 days, respectively. Lung samples were obtained and they were fixed, included, sectioned, stained with hematoxylineosin, van Gieson and Masson’s trichromic and studied under the optical microscope. The microscopic aspects were compared with those of the controls (10 guinea pigs), intratracheally instilled with 1 ml physiological solution (NaCl 0.9%) at the beginning of the experiment and killed with the last group of guinea pigs at 100 days. The optical microscopic study showed important changes in the pulmonary structure: alveolar wall ruptures, infiltration of alveolar septa with round cells and histiocytes, as well as diffuse interstitial fibrosis which was more obvious 100 days after the instillation. Lung tissue hydroxyproline, as a marker of collagen synthesis, showed a significant increase correlated with the occurrence of fibrosis. The results of the experimental research support the pneumoconiogenic effect of silicon carbide. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 253–258)