Effect of silicon dioxide on expression of poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase mRNA and protein

Silicon dioxide induces acute injury and chronic pulmonary fibrosis. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed it as a human carcinogen in 1996. However, the molecular mechanisms to induce cancer are not understood yet. The content of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) mRNA and protein in Hela cells treated with concentrations of silicon dioxide up to 400 μg/ml was determined by real-time fluorogenetic quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) and immunofluorescence assay, respectively. MTT assay was used to determine cell viability. The results showed that viability at 400 μg/ml silica was significantly decreased but not at lower concentrations. The protein content of γ-H2AX in silica-treated group was significantly higher than the controls. The PARP mRNA and protein levels were significantly reduced with a dose response manner from the lowest silicon dioxide level. Our findings suggested that silicon dioxide increased the expression of γ-H2AX and inhibited the expression of PARP mRNA and protein in Hela cells.