Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Opole, Opole, Poland.
Physiol Rep. 2021 Sep;9(18):e15034. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15034.
In the history of diagnostics, breath analysis was one of the first method used until the breakthrough of biochemical testing technology. Today, breath analysis has made a comeback with the development of gas analyzers and e-noses, demonstrating its power in its applicability for diagnosing a wide range of diseases. The physical basis of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), an emerging environmental disease, is difficult to understand because it is based on the scenario of chronic hypoxia, with a complex of chemical compounds that trigger the syndrome and result in multiple symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate MCS by analyzing exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The volatile, metabolic picture could be a putative gold standard for understanding and diagnosing the disease. The study was based on recording in resting condition using the noninvasive passive e-nose contactless breath test, the Olfactory Real-Time Volatile Organic Compounds (ORT-VOC) test in MCS, and control samples. The VOCs profile distinguished between disease and health. It also distinguished the gender-related volatile profile with significant robustness. The results trace a putative compensatory physiological pathway elicited by increased lactate, leading to acidosis, and hyperventilation, resulting in the production of specific VOCs. We conclude that breath testing is a valuable tool to investigate the hypoxia-related VOC profile, facilitating MCS diagnosis.
在诊断学的历史中，呼吸分析是最早使用的方法之一，直到生化检测技术的突破。如今，随着气体分析仪和电子鼻的发展，呼吸分析技术得以复兴，其在诊断多种疾病方面的应用展示了其强大的功能。多种化学敏感性（MCS）作为一种新兴的环境疾病，其物理基础很难理解，因为它基于慢性缺氧的情况，复杂的化学物质会引发该综合征并导致多种症状。本研究旨在通过分析呼出的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）来研究 MCS。挥发性代谢特征可能是理解和诊断该疾病的标准黄金方法。本研究基于使用无创被动电子鼻接触式呼吸测试，在 MCS 和对照样本中记录休息状态下的 Olfactory Real-Time Volatile Organic Compounds (ORT-VOC) 测试。VOCs 特征可区分疾病和健康。它还区分了具有显著稳健性的性别相关挥发性特征。结果表明，一种可能的代偿性生理途径被触发，导致乳酸增加、酸中毒和过度通气，从而产生特定的 VOCs。我们得出结论，呼吸测试是研究与缺氧相关的 VOC 特征的有价值的工具，有助于 MCS 的诊断。
