Abstract 3433: Identification of potential salivary response biomarkers in subjects practicing yogic breathing

Abstract

Abstract Yogic Breathing (YB; Pranayama) is a form of Yoga technique practiced since ancient times for healthy living. In the United States, the practice of Yoga has markedly increased in recent years. Recent data suggest that adjunctive Yoga in cancer patients may help patients with symptom management. Whereas there are data on Asana (Postures) that involve physical movements in cancer patients, there are limited data on YB. Considering the ease of practice when compared to Asana, YB might benefit patients who are already physically overwhelmed with symptom burden. Current data measure the outcomes of Yoga using subjective measures, but biomarkers in an easily accessible biospecimen might provide key information as to the effects of YB among practitioners. We hypothesized that YB stimulates alterations in the salivary biomarker expression. We conducted an Institutional Review Board approved pilot randomized controlled trial in 20 subjects (n = 10 in each group) to compare the salivary expression of biomarkers between a 20 min YB group vs. Attention Control (AC) group. The YB group performed two exercises (Pranava Pranayama, and Thirumoolar Pranayama) each for 10 min, and the AC group read a scientific article for the same amount of time. Tandem Mass Spectrometric (LC-LC-MS-MS), Multiplex, and Western blot analysis showed the differential expression of 22 salivary proteins associated with immune response, stress and cancer. As compared with the AC group, YB increased Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumor 1 (DMBT1) as early as 5 min and maintained significantly high levels in all time points tested. In contrast, YB reduced IL-1beta (at 10, 15 and 20 min) and IL-8 levels (at 5, 10, 15 and 20 min) in participants when compared to AC controls. Further analysis of salivary lipidomic profiles demonstrated marginal reductions in sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate levels in YB group. Collectively, our data provide the first evidence that YB could alter salivary biomarkers associated with cancer, inflammation, and stress. These markers may be useful to evaluate symptom management via stress reduction and immune regulation. Citation Format: Sundaravadivel Balasubramanian, Michael G. Janech, Graham W. Warren. Identification of potential salivary response biomarkers in subjects practicing yogic breathing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3433. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3433