Abstract
Studies have shown that glycerophospholipids are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study adopted targeted metabolomic analysis to investigate the changes in serum glycerophospholipids in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and their differential expression in patients with different inflammatory subtypes. Patients with AECOPD admitted between January 2015 and December 2017 were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected. The patients’ gender, age, body mass index, and lung function were recorded. Routine blood and induced sputum tests were performed. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect the serum glycerophospholipid metabolic profiles and to analyze the metabolic profile changes between the acute exacerbation and recovery stages as well as the differences between different inflammatory subtypes. A total of 58 patients were hospitalized for AECOPD, including 49 male patients with a mean age of 74.8 ± 10.0 years. In the metabolic profiles, the expression of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 18:3, lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) 16:1, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 32:1 was significantly reduced in the acute exacerbation stage compared to the recovery stage (P < 0.05). The three glycerophospholipids were used to plot the receiver operating characteristic curves to predict the acute exacerbation/recovery stage, and the areas under the curves were all above 70%. There were no differential metabolites between the two groups of patients with blood eosinophil percentage (EOS%) ≥2% and <2% at exacerbation. The expression of LPC 18:3, LPE 16:1, and PI 32:1 was significantly reduced in the acute exacerbation stage compared to the recovery stage in the inflammatory subtype with blood EOS <2% (P < 0.05). Abnormalities in the metabolism of glycerophospholipids may be involved in the onset of AECOPD, especially in the non-eosinophilic subtype.
Highlights
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation
Patients were classified into different inflammatory subtypes based on whether their peripheral blood eosinophil percentage (EOS%) was ≥2% or
AECOPD, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEVl, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FEV1%pred, FEVl expressed as a percentage of the predicted value; FVC, forced vital capacity; EOS, eosinophil
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation. It is a common and frequently occurring disease with a global incidence of 10% and has become a worldwide public health problem (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, 2020). Acute exacerbation (AE) of COPD (AECOPD) refers to the exacerbation of any symptoms (e.g., cough, sputum, and wheezing) in COPD patients. It can be caused by bacterial or viral infection, environmental pollution, cold weather, or interruption of routine treatment. Metabolomics can be helpful to further investigate the mechanisms and classifications of this disease and explore its biomarkers in greater depth (Kilk et al, 2018; Liang et al, 2019; Ekroos et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
