Animals
Considering the predominant
prevalence of pneumoconiosis among males, we selected male C57BL/6J mice
(25 - 30 g, 8 weeks old) for our study. Mice were placed in sterile
cages at standard temperatures of 24 - 26°C, 60 - 70% humidity, and 12
h of light/12 h of dark. Fresh water and food were provided on a weekly
basis. The mouse compartment was maintained under specific pathogen-free
conditions. All animal experimental procedures were approved by the
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Peking Union Medical
College (Ethical Review Number: ACUC-A01-2022-034).