{
  "abstract": "We investigated whether carbon nanoparticles (CNPs), a shared core component of coal dust, ambient PM2.5, and tobacco smoke, drive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression. In an experimental mouse model of CNP‑induced pulmonary fibrosis (intranasal instillation, 200 µg/kg every other day for 90 days), we used transcriptomic screening to identify aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 (ARNT2) as a key upregulated transcription factor. In an ectopic xenograft model (nude mice pre‑exposed to 15 µg/kg CNPs for 1 week, subsequently inoculated with A549/A427 cells with or without ARNT2 silencing, with CNP administration continued for a total of 40 days), CNP exposure increased tumor volume at day 36 (A549, 194 ± 17–308 ± 22 mm³; A427, 245 ± 31–417 ± 42 mm³), proliferation (Ki‑67/PCNA: A549, 2.93‑/3.33-fold; A427, 1.94‑/3.55-fold), and levels of epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers (N‑cadherin/Vimentin: A549, 1.61‑/3.17-fold; A427, 2.44‑/1.98-fold), while ARNT2 knockdown reversed these effects. In vitro , CNP treatment (2 µg/mL, 48 h) enhanced proliferation (A549, 2.01‑fold; A427, 1.43-fold), migration (A549, 1.83‑fold; A427, 3.61‑fold), invasion (A549, 2.50‑fold; A427, 2.40‑fold), levels of stemness markers (CD133/SOX2/Oct4: A549, 2.38-/1.93-/2.02-fold; A427, 2.44-/1.44-/1.60-fold), and concentrations of inflammatory cytokines (TNF‑α/IL‑1β/IL‑6: A549, 5.39‑/6.41-/13.70-fold; A427, 3.59‑/10.02-/9.66-fold), reduced apoptosis (A549, 0.47‑fold; A427, 0.36-fold) and senescence (A549, 0.61-fold; A427, 0.37-fold), and increased reactive oxygen species levels (A549, 2.32‑fold; A427, 2.01‑fold); all these changes were attenuated by ARNT2 silencing. Transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses identified ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 14 (ARL14) as a downstream effector of ARNT2; ARL14 overexpression in ARNT2 ‑silenced cells restored proliferation and invasion and reduced apoptosis. Overall, experimental CNP exposure promotes NSCLC progression in an ARNT2-dependent manner, with ARL14 as a downstream mediator, which suggests potential targets for intervention in particulate-associated lung cancer.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "The First Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui Province, 232000, China",
    "The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230071, China",
    "The First Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui Province, 232000, China; Corresponding author."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
      ],
      "name": "Weiyu Jiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chao Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yaru Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bowen Duan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Qiuxue Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuting Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Run Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lihong Xiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jun Tao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yinci Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ce0krcsxtb4sk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120951",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651326012819",
  "id": "ce0krcsxtb4sk",
  "issns": [
    "0147-6513",
    "1090-2414"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120951",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "GE1-350"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "TD172-193.5"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Occupational and environmental lung diseases"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7223126031",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ce0krcsxtb4sk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:43:37Z",
      "native_id": "e66725d98b604b7a97ec69715ca9e226",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120951"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "lcc:GE1-350",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
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    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:2307|Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Carbon nanoparticle exposure promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer via the ARNT2/ARL14 axis: Findings from",
  "title_text": "Carbon nanoparticle exposure promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer via the ARNT2/ARL14 axis: Findings from",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:43:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ce0krcsxtb4sk",
  "venue": "Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety",
  "versions": []
}