Abstract
BackgroundAsthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of airways, but an ideal biomarker that accurately reflects ongoing airway inflammation has not yet been established. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of sputum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) as a new biomarker for airway inflammation in asthma.MethodsWe obtained induced sputum samples from patients with asthma (N = 64) and healthy volunteers (N = 22) and measured LRG concentration by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model mice were used to investigate the mechanism of LRG production during airway inflammation. The LRG concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from mice were determined by ELISA and mouse lung sections were stained with anti-LRG antibody and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reagent.ResultsSputum LRG concentrations were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in healthy volunteers (p = 0.00686). Consistent with patients’ data, BALF LRG levels in asthma model mice were significantly higher than in control mice (p = 0.00013). Immunohistochemistry of lung sections from asthma model mice revealed that LRG was intensely expressed in a subpopulation of bronchial epithelial cells, which corresponded with PAS-positive mucus producing cells.ConclusionThese findings suggest that sputum LRG is a promising biomarker of local inflammation in asthma.
Highlights
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, characterized by bronchial hyperreactivity, airway obstruction, and mucus hyper-production
The leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from mice were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mouse lung sections were stained with anti-LRG antibody and periodic acidSchiff (PAS) reagent
Sputum LRG concentrations were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in healthy volunteers (p = 0.00686)
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, characterized by bronchial hyperreactivity, airway obstruction, and mucus hyper-production. Pulmonary function tests are often used to objectively assess the severity of the disease, they do not necessarily reflect ongoing airway inflammation. Several biomarkers have been evaluated for sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and exhaled samples in order to assess the inflammation levels of the airways as well as therapeutic effects of an intervention. The search for novel biomarkers of airway inflammation is warranted to establish accurate diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and personalizing treatment. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of airways, but an ideal biomarker that accurately reflects ongoing airway inflammation has not yet been established. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of sputum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) as a new biomarker for airway inflammation in asthma
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