Asthmatics found to have a distinct metabolite profile

An international team of researchers has found that severe asthmatics have a distinct biochemical (metabolite) profile detectable in their urine, compared to mild-to-moderate asthmatics and healthy individuals — a breakthrough that could lead to more effective treatments for the world’s 262 million asthma sufferers.

The study was published in the European Respiratory Journal and co-led by Dr Stacey Reinke from Edith Cowan University (ECU), who said it is vital that asthma treatment is improved.

“Severe asthma occurs when someone’s asthma is uncontrolled, despite being treated with high levels of medication and/or multiple medications,” Reinke said.

“To identify and develop new treatment options, we first need to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the disease.”

One way to do this is to examine the body’s chemical profile, or metabolome, which provides a snapshot of a person’s current physiological state and gives useful insight into disease processes. In the case of asthma, Reinke acknowledged that it can be difficult and invasive to investigate the lungs directly — but fortunately they contain a lot of blood vessels.

“Therefore, any biochemical changes in the lungs can enter the bloodstream, and then be excreted through the urine,” she said.

The researchers analysed urine samples from more than 600 participants across 11 countries as part of the U-BIOPRED study, a Europe-wide initiative to identify and better understand different subtypes of severe asthma. The team discovered a specific type of metabolite, called carnitines, decreased in severe asthmatics.

Carnitines play an important role in cellular energy generation and immune responses. Further analyses found carnitine metabolism was lower in severe asthmatics, which should help researchers to work towards new, more effective therapies for asthmatics.

“In this case, we were able to use the urinary metabolome of asthmatics to identify fundamental differences in energy metabolism that may represent a target for new interventions in asthma control,” Reinke said.

“These are preliminary results, but we will continue to investigate carnitine metabolism to evaluate its potential as a new asthma treatment target.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/WavebreakmediaMicro

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