Lipidomics Profiling of Inflammatory and Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators at the Junction of Inflammation-Resolution Transition in Mouse Lungs Exposed to Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are new nanomaterials made of graphene sheets that role into multi-layer, concentric tubes. MWCNTs are airborne and resistant to natural and biological degradation. The potential that inhalation of MWCNTS at the workplace overtime causes lung injury and disease is a considerable health concern for exposed workers. Exposure to certain MWCNTs induces prominent acute inflammation with lung injury in laboratory animals. How fibrogenic MWCNTs instigate inflammation and how the interplay between inflammation and resolution of inflammation influences fibrotic development from exposure to MWCNTs have not been well understood. This study addressed these knowledge gaps by using a quantitative lipidomics approach to systematically profile inflammatory lipid mediators and specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators, major mediators of inflammation and resolution, respectively, at the junction of transition from acute inflammation to fibrotic progression in mouse lungs exposed to fibrogenic MWCNTs.