Sulfidopeptide leukotrienes, but not thromboxane B2 or histamine, are elevated in sputum during exacerbation of asthma

Abstract

Although sulfidopeptide leukotrienes (sLT) are considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma, their precise action has not been elucidated in asthmatics during exacerbation. In the present study, we examined sputum concentrations of sLT from asthmatic patients in order to determine whether sLT are actively involved in the exacerbation of asthma. We also examined sputum levels of thromboxane (TX) B2 and histamine because these mediators are considered to be as important as sLT. The induced sputa by 3% hypertonic saline inhalation were treated with high-performance liquid chromatography and levels of sLT, TXB2 and histamine were measured with enzyme immunoassay kits. These compounds tended to be elevated in asymptomatic asthmatic patients compared with healthy controls, but the differences were not significant. Levels of sLT and TXB2 showed no difference between atopic and non-atopic patients, but histamine levels were higher in atopic patients than in non-atopic patients. However, sputa during the exacerbation contained significantly higher levels of sLT than those during the asymptomatic state. In contrast, neither histamine nor TXB2 showed any changes with exacerbation. These results suggest that sLT may be one of the most potent for mounting the exacerbation of asthma.