Tianci Jiang1, Lingling Dai2, Pengfei Li1, Junwei Zhao3, Xi Wang2, Lin An2, Meng Liu2, Shujun Wu2, Yu Wang2, Youmei Peng4, Di Sun2, Caopei Zheng2, Tingting Wang2, Xuejun Wen5, Zhe Cheng6. 1. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China; Henan Key Laboratory for Pharmacology of Liver Diseases, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China. 2. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China. 3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Department of Laboratory Medicine Key Clinical Laboratory of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China. 4. Henan Key Laboratory for Pharmacology of Liver Diseases, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China. 5. Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23220, USA. 6. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China; Henan Key Laboratory for Pharmacology of Liver Diseases, Zhengzhou, He'nan 450052, PR China. Electronic address: chengzhezzu@outlook.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lipids participate in many important biological functions through energy storage, material transport, signal transduction, and molecular recognition processes. Studies have reported that asthmatic patients have abnormal lipid metabolism. However, there are limited studies on the characterization of lipid metabolism in asthmatic patients by lipidomics. METHODS: We characterized the plasma lipid profile of 28 healthy controls and 33 outpatients with asthma (18 mild, 15 moderate) by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. RESULTS: We determined 1338 individual lipid species in the plasma. Significant changes were identified in ten lipid species in asthmatic patients than in healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (18:1p/22:6), PE (20:0/18:1), PE (38:1), sphingomyelin (SM) (d18:1/18:1), and triglyceride (TG) (16:0/16:0/18:1) positively correlated with the severity of asthma (all P < 0.05). Phosphatidylinositol (PI) (16:0/20:4), TG (17:0/18:1/18:1), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) (44:0), ceramide (Cer) (d16:0/27:2), and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (22:4) negatively correlated with the severity of asthma (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between all ten lipid species (all P < 0.05). From the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, PE (38:1) was the major lipid metabolite that distinguished asthmatic patients from healthy controls, and may be considered a potential lipid biomarker. PE (20:0/18:1) and TG (16:0/16:0/18:1) might be related to IgE levels in asthmatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated the presence of abnormal lipid metabolism, which correlated with the severity and IgE levels in asthmatic patients.
BACKGROUND:Lipids participate in many important biological functions through energy storage, material transport, signal transduction, and molecular recognition processes. Studies have reported that asthmatic patients have abnormal lipid metabolism. However, there are limited studies on the characterization of lipid metabolism in asthmatic patients by lipidomics. METHODS: We characterized the plasma lipid profile of 28 healthy controls and 33 outpatients with asthma (18 mild, 15 moderate) by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. RESULTS: We determined 1338 individual lipid species in the plasma. Significant changes were identified in ten lipid species in asthmatic patients than in healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (18:1p/22:6), PE (20:0/18:1), PE (38:1), sphingomyelin (SM) (d18:1/18:1), and triglyceride (TG) (16:0/16:0/18:1) positively correlated with the severity of asthma (all P < 0.05). Phosphatidylinositol (PI) (16:0/20:4), TG (17:0/18:1/18:1), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) (44:0), ceramide (Cer) (d16:0/27:2), and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (22:4) negatively correlated with the severity of asthma (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between all ten lipid species (all P < 0.05). From the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, PE (38:1) was the major lipid metabolite that distinguished asthmatic patients from healthy controls, and may be considered a potential lipid biomarker. PE (20:0/18:1) and TG (16:0/16:0/18:1) might be related to IgE levels in asthmatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated the presence of abnormal lipid metabolism, which correlated with the severity and IgE levels in asthmatic patients.