Exhaled hydrogen sulfide as a biomarker of severe refractory asthma and asthma exacerbation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K08659
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Saito Junpei 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (50332929)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 硫化水素 / 呼気ガス分析 / 呼気硫化水素 / 呼気一酸化窒素 / 気管支喘息 / 喘息コントロール / 急性増悪 / 経年的呼吸機能低下

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We found serum and sputum hydrogen sulfide in asthma could be a useful biomarker for neutrophilic airway inflammation, which may be associated with refractory asthma. We developed a novel device for measuring fractional exhaled hydrogen sulfide (FeH2S) levels and evaluated the usefulness of FeH2S as a marker for predicting refractory asthma. We enrolled 11 healthy subjects and 86 asthmatics. FeH2S levels in asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects and showed a significant positive correlation with sputum neutrophils. Furthermore, FeH2S was significantly higher in asthmatics either with poorly controlled or exacerbations in the previous year. Additionally, there was a trend correlation between annual decline in FEV1 and FeH2S. These findings suggest FeH2S could be a simple and non-invasive biomarker of neutrophilic airway inflammation, and provide useful information on predicting asthma control status, risk of exacerbation, and annual decline of lung function.

Free Research Field

呼吸器病学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

喘息の病態生理学的特徴である気道炎症にはフェノタイプがあり、中でも好中球性炎症優位型喘息は治療反応性や予後が不良であることが明らかになってきた．我々は簡便かつ非侵襲的に好中球性気道炎症をモニタリングする指標として呼気硫化水素濃度（FeH2S）測定器を新たに開発し、特許を取得すると共に、喘息の疾患活動性とFeH2Sが関連することを明らかにした．今後、喘息に関しては、他の疾患活動性バイオマーカーと組み合わせることで、更なる良好なコントロールが得られることが期待される．加えて、慢性閉塞性肺疾患、肺炎など多くの好中球炎症性呼吸器疾患の活動性をモニタリングする指標として広く応用できる可能性も期待される．