Silicon, a Possible Link between Environmental Exposure and Autoimmune Diseases: The Case of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Table 1

Characteristics and effects of silicon-derived compounds.

Biological Effect	Silica	Asbestos	Silicone	Nanoparticles
Sources	Construction, Minning	Construction, Minning	Breast implants	Nanotecnology, Drug delivery
Inflammation	NALP3 Inflammation	NALP3 Inflammation	No tested	NALP3 Inflammation
	Release of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, TNFα, IL-6)	Release of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, IFNγ)	Release of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-2)	Release of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, IFNγ)
Serology	Production of Autoantibodies (ANAs, ENAs, RF, Anti-Fas, Anti-CCP)	Production of Autoantibodies (ANAs, AFAs)	Production of Autoantibodies (ANAs)	Production of Autoantibodies (anti-CCP)
	Infiltration	Infiltration		Infiltration
Cellular responses	ROS production	ROS production	No tested	ROS production
	Apoptosis	Apoptosis		Apoptosis
	Tissue Fibrosis	Tissue Fibrosis	Tissue Fibrosis	Tissue Fibrosis
Outcome		Perpetuation of the responses along the time
		Rheumatoid Arthritis