Exhaled Breath Reflects Prolonged Exercise and Statin Use during a Field Campaign.

Ben Henderson,Maria T E Hopman,Neeltje A E Allard,Jeroen J Jansen,Coen C W G Bongers,Rupert Holzinger,Simona M Cristescu,Guilherme Lopes Batista,Carlo G Bertinetto,Frans J M Harren,Joris Meurs,Dušan Materić,Thijs M H Eijsvogels

doi:10.3390/metabo11040192

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath provide insights into various metabolic processes and can be used to monitor physiological response to exercise and medication. We integrated and validated in situ a sampling and analysis protocol using proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) for exhaled breath research. The approach was demonstrated on a participant cohort comprising users of the cholesterol-lowering drug statins and non-statin users during a field campaign of three days of prolonged and repeated exercise, with no restrictions on food or drink consumption. The effect of prolonged exercise was reflected in the exhaled breath of participants, and relevant VOCs were identified. Most of the VOCs, such as acetone, showed an increase in concentration after the first day of walking and subsequent decrease towards baseline levels prior to walking on the second day. A cluster of short-chain fatty acids including acetic acid, butanoic acid, and propionic acid were identified in exhaled breath as potential indicators of gut microbiota activity relating to exercise and drug use. We have provided novel information regarding the use of breathomics for non-invasive monitoring of changes in human metabolism and especially for the gut microbiome activity in relation to exercise and the use of medication, such as statins.

Highlights

Our goal was to investigate whether under these conditions, the effect of prolonged and repeated exercise is reflected in the breath Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile, and in that case, we identify the significant VOCs, along with their variation over time
The participants included in this study were enrolled onto a multiple diagnostic testing pipeline with breath sampling being the first; a key challenge was to ensure that the sampling protocol was suitable for a high throughput of samples
We demonstrated an online breath sampling protocol and analysis of exhaled breath using PTR-ToF-MS for use in a field campaign

Summary

Introduction

Certain stimuli, such as exercise or medication, affect various biochemical and metabolic processes in the human body that in turn alter the composition and concentration of the associated volatile metabolites [1,2]. Analysis of these metabolites, of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath, provide a snapshot of the current health status and disease activity of an individual [3,4]. Its versatility outside of this controlled environment regarding exhaled breath analysis is yet to be demonstrated

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