BGFA, Research Institute of Occupational Medicine, German Social Accident Insurance, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
J Physiol Pharmacol. 2009 Nov;60 Suppl 5:57-60.
Long-term cigarette smoking is the major etiological factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Airway inflammation and oxidative stress are implicated in the pathogenesis. Biomarkers reflecting these responses could be analyzed in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Recently, it became obvious that mediator concentrations in EBC could be influenced by age of the subjects, equipment, sampling properties, and the analytical assays applied. In the present study we evaluated 8 smokers (20-56 yr) and 16 non-smoking adults (18-60 yr) with normal spirometry and no episode of airway infection during 6 weeks prior to the study. EBC samples were obtained with the commercial device ECoScreen2 at a controlled temperature of -20 degrees C. Leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4), marker of inflammation), 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (8-iso-PGF(2 alpha)/8-isoprostane, oxidative stress) concentrations, and pH were measured. With 10 min of tidal breathing, a lower EBC volume was collected in smokers (median 1.22 ml; interquantil range 1.06-1.74 ml) than in non-smokers (1.6 ml; 1.16-2.21 ml; P=0.06). Significant differences were found in pH in smokers compared with non-smokers (7.14 (5.70-7.43) vs. 7.59 (7.28-7.73); P<0.01). No significant differences were observed in EBC concentrations of LTB(4) or 8-iso-PGF(2 alpha). The study demonstrates that acidopnea is detectable in otherwise asymptomatic smokers and might precede changes in the level of arachidonic acid metabolites. For pH is considered to be the most validated marker determined in EBC samples, it may be useful for screening asymptomatic individuals for smoking-induced early airway damage.
长期吸烟是慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）发展的主要病因。气道炎症和氧化应激与发病机制有关。可以在呼出气冷凝物（EBC）中分析反映这些反应的生物标志物。最近，很明显，EBC 中的介质浓度会受到受试者年龄、设备、采样特性和应用的分析方法的影响。在本研究中，我们评估了 8 名吸烟者（20-56 岁）和 16 名非吸烟者（18-60 岁），他们在研究前 6 周内没有气道感染发作，且肺功能正常。使用商业设备 ECoScreen2 在-20°C 的受控温度下获得 EBC 样本。测量白三烯 B（4）（LTB（4），炎症标志物）、8-异前列腺素 F（2α）（8-iso-PGF（2α）/8-异前列腺素，氧化应激）浓度和 pH 值。在 10 分钟的潮气呼吸中，吸烟者收集的 EBC 量较低（中位数为 1.22ml；106-1.74ml；非吸烟者为 1.6ml；1.16-2.21ml；P=0.06）。与非吸烟者相比，吸烟者的 pH 值存在显著差异（7.14（5.70-7.43）与 7.59（7.28-7.73）；P<0.01）。EBC 中 LTB（4）或 8-iso-PGF（2α）的浓度没有显著差异。该研究表明，无症状吸烟者中可检测到酸呼气，并且可能先于花生四烯酸代谢物水平的变化。由于 pH 值被认为是 EBC 样本中最有效的验证标志物，因此它可能有助于筛选无症状个体，以发现吸烟引起的早期气道损伤。
