Involvement of miR-205-5p in Mediating the Development of Nodular Thyroid Disease Associated with Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis via Pulmonary Extracellular Vesicles

Feng Zhao^1*Yu Hao²Hongzhen Zhang^3*

• ¹The First Hospital of Anhui University of Science & Technology (Huai nan first people's Hospital), 安徽省淮南市, China
• ²Weihai Municipal Hospital, Weihai, Shandong Province, China
• ³Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China

Objective: Coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) is an occupational disease, and the mechanisms underlying the development of its complication, nodular thyroid disease (NTD), remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-205-5p (miR-205-5p) in the development of nodular thyroid disease associated with coal worker's pneumoconiosis.Methods: The potential role of pulmonary extracellular vesicles in triggering coal worker's pneumoconiosis-associated nodular thyroid disease was explored. RNA was extracted from isolated extracellular vesicle samples, and real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-qPCR was performed using specific primers and probes. The levels of miR-205-5p in the extracellular vesicles from the supernatant of each treatment group were compared, and the significant expression of miR-205-5p in the extracellular vesicles was detected by RT-qPCR to evaluate the regulatory role of lung-derived extracellular vesicles in the development of coal worker's pneumoconiosis-associated nodular thyroid disease. In addition, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion capabilities were assessed using the CCK-8 assay for cell proliferation activity, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and flow cytometry for cell apoptosis rate, and Transwell assay for cell invasion ability.Results: By isolating, purifying, and analyzing extracellular vesicles from coal worker's pneumoconiosis patients and healthy controls, it was found that the expression of miR-205-5p in the plasma of coal worker's pneumoconiosis patients was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls (P<0.01). Furthermore, the expression levels of ATF4 and CHOP were also significantly increased in coal worker's pneumoconiosis patients (P<0.01), consistent with the expression trend of miR-205-5p. Further in vitro cell experiments demonstrated that miR-205-5p can promote the proliferation and formation of nodules in thyroid cells by regulating the expression of downstream target genes. This study revealed the critical role of miR-205-5p in the development of nodular thyroid disease associated with coal worker's pneumoconiosis and provided new experimental evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.Conclusion: Pulmonary EV-derived miR-205-5p mediates CWP-associated NTD through ATF4/CHOP signaling, offering new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Further research should elucidate specific molecular mechanisms.