loading page

Sputum metabolomic profiling revels metabolic pathways and signatures associated with inflammatory phenotypes in patients with asthma
  • +13
  • Ying Liu,
  • Xin Zhang,
  • Li Zhang,
  • Brian Oliver,
  • Hong Guang Wang,
  • Zhi Peng Liu,
  • Zhihong Chen,
  • Lisa Wood,
  • Alan Hsu,
  • Min Xie,
  • Vanessa McDonald,
  • Hua Jing Wan,
  • Feng Ming Luo,
  • Dan Liu,
  • Wei Min Li,
  • Gang Wang
Ying Liu
Sichuan University West China Hospital

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Xin Zhang
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile
Li Zhang
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile
Brian Oliver
University of Technology Sydney School of Life Sciences
Author Profile
Hong Guang Wang
Biotree-Shanghai Shanghai 201815 China
Author Profile
Zhi Peng Liu
Biotree-Shanghai Shanghai 201815 China
Author Profile
Zhihong Chen
Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University
Author Profile
Lisa Wood
The University of Newcastle The Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs
Author Profile
Alan Hsu
The University of Newcastle The Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs
Author Profile
Min Xie
Tongji Hospital Department of Hematology
Author Profile
Vanessa McDonald
The University of Newcastle The Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs
Author Profile
Hua Jing Wan
Sichuan University
Author Profile
Feng Ming Luo
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile
Dan Liu
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile
Wei Min Li
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile
Gang Wang
Sichuan University West China Hospital
Author Profile

Abstract

Background: The molecular links between metabolism and inflammation that drive different inflammatory phenotypes in asthma are poorly understood. Objectives: To identify the metabolic signatures and underlying molecular pathways of different inflammatory asthma phenotypes. Method: In the discovery set (n=119), untargeted ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) were applied to characterize the induced sputum metabolic profiles from asthmatic patients classified by different inflammatory phenotypes using orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and pathway topology enrichment analysis. In the validation set (n = 114), differential metabolites were selected to perform targeted quantification. Correlations between targeted metabolites and clinical indexes in asthma patients were analyzed. Logistic and negative binomial regression models were established to assess the association between metabolites and severe asthma exacerbation. Results: 77 differential metabolites were identified in the discovery set. Pathway topology analysis uncovered that histidine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis were involved in the pathogenesis of different asthma phenotypes. In the validation set, 24 targeted quantification metabolites were significantly differentially expressed between asthma inflammatory phenotypes. Finally, adenosine 5’-monophosphate (RRadj = 1.000, 95%CI = [1.000, 1.000], P = 0.050), allantoin (RRadj = 1.000, 95%CI = [1.000, 1.000], P = 0.043) and nicotinamide (RRadj = 1.001, 95%CI = [1.000, 1.002], P = 0.021) were demonstrated to predict severe asthma exacerbation rate ratios. Conclusions: Different inflammatory asthma phenotypes have specific metabolic profiles in induced sputum. The potential metabolic signatures may serve as identification and therapeutic target in different inflammatory asthma phenotypes.