1. Plasma lipid biomarkers in relation to BMI, lung function, and airway inflammation in pediatric asthma.
- Author
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Papamichael, Maria Michelle, Katsardis, Charis, Tsoukalas, Dimitris, Itsiopoulos, Catherine, and Erbas, Bircan
- Subjects
LUNGS ,BLOOD lipids ,ASTHMA ,UNSATURATED fatty acids ,EICOSANOIC acid ,MEDICAL personnel - Abstract
Introduction: There is limited understanding of how plasma fatty acid levels affect pulmonary function in pediatric years. It has been speculated that polyunsaturated fatty acids influence asthma via anti or pro-inflammatory mechanisms. Metabolomics presents a new and promising resource for identifying molecular processes involved in asthma pathology. Objectives: We investigated the relationship of plasma fatty acid metabolites as biomarkers of the 'mild-asthma' phenotype and lung function including airway inflammation in children. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 64 children (5–12 years, 33 male) with mild-asthma phenotype attending an outpatient pediatric clinic in Athens, Greece. Clinical examination included spirometry (FVC, FEV
1 , FEV1 /FVC, PEF, FEF25–75% ) and Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO). Targeted metabolomic profiling was used to quantify plasma fatty acid composition. Associations between lipids and pulmonary function indices were investigated applying linear regression. Results: Targeted GC-MS identified 25 unique plasma fatty acids in mild-asthmatic children. Linear regression revealed significant associations between linoleic, oleic, erucic, cis-11-eicosenoic, arachidic acids and FEV1 , FVC, FEV1 /FVC, PEF, FEF25–75% and FeNO in the overweight/obese group, adjusting for age and sex; and in the normo-weight between stearic and arachidic acids versus FEV1 and FEV1 /FVC respectively. No associations were observed for arachidonic, α-linolenic, EPA and DHA. Conclusion: Metabolomics is a novel science that is useful to discover metabolic signatures specific to disease. Evaluation of fatty acid status could assist clinicians in decision-making about a dietary modification that can be used for personalized nutrition therapies to achieve better asthma control, optimum lung function, and therapeutic response in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
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