Leukotriene B4 and 8-isoprostane in exhaled breath condensate of children with episodic and persistent asthma

Background: leukotrienes and isoprostanes are biomarkers of airway inflammation and oxidative stress that can be detected in exhaled breath condensate (ebc). the aim of this study was to evaluate leukotriene b4(ltb4) 8-isoprostane levels in ebc of healthy and asthmatic children with episodic and moderate persistent asthma. methods: ebc was collected from 62 children aged 6 to 14 years: 22 healthy children,30 patients with episodic asthma,and 10 patients with moderate persistent asthma,without preventive treatment at the time of enrolment. results: ltb4,concentrations were higher in children with asthma than in healthy controls (50.7 pg/ml vs 13.68 pg/ml,p<.011). the same was true for children with moderate persistent asthma compared to children with episodic asthma (146.9 pg/ml vs 18.85 pg/ml,p<.0001),children with moderate persistent asthma compared to healthy controls (146.9 pg/ml vs 13.68 pg/ml,p<.0001),and children with episodic asthma compared to healthy controls (p,nonsignificant). ebc concentrations of 8-isoprostane were higher in asthmatic than in healthy children (18.3 pg/ml vs 6.59 pg/ml,p<.026). they were also increased in children with moderate persistent asthma compared to those with episodic asthma (36.25 pg/ml and 12.28 pg/ml,p<.012),and in children with moderate persistent asthma and episodic asthma compared to healthy controls (36.25 pg/ml vs 6.59 pg/ml [p<.0001] and 12.28 pg/ml versus 6.59 pg/ml [p<.0001],respectively). conclusion: ltb4 and 8-isoprostane concentrations were increased in asthmatic children compared to healthy individuals,with differences detected for 2 degrees of asthma severity. our findings suggest that ebc is a noninvasive method for airway inflammation and oxidative stress assessment. © 2010 esmon publicidad.