Patterns of c-fos and c-jun proto-oncogene expression, apoptosis, and proliferation in rat pleural mesothelial cells exposed to erionite or asbestos fibers.

Erionite, a naturally occurring fibrous zeolite, is associated with the development of nonmalignant and malignant lung diseases and is more carcinogenic than asbestos fibers in man and rodent inhalation models of disease. To investigate the possible molecular mechanisms of erionite-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis and whether cationic content of erionite fibers was important, we examined c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels, activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding to DNA, and changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis in rat pleural mesothelial (RPM) cells exposed to different cation-substituted erionite fibers or crocidolite asbestos at various concentrations (1, 5, or 10 microg/cm2 dish) at time periods from 8 to 48 h after addition of minerals. c-fos mRNA levels in cells exposed to equal weight concentrations of various erionites and crocidolite fibers were increased comparably. When compared to other fibers, Na-erionite caused significantly increased levels of c-jun mRNA at lower mass concentrations (1 and 5 microg/cm2) than crocidolite asbestos, but comparable AP-1 binding to DNA. In comparison to untreated controls, numbers of RPM cells incorporating 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) were increased dramatically after exposure to asbestos or Na-erionite at 5 and 10 microg/cm2. Significant dose-dependent increases in apoptosis were observed with asbestos at all time points, whereas erionites failed to induce apoptosis at 8 or 24 h, with minimal induction at higher concentrations than asbestos at 48 h. These data suggest that erionite increases the balance between cell proliferation (and/or abnormal DNA repair) and apoptosis, a normal mechanism of elimination of transformed or proliferating cells.