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Analysis of exhaled breath condensate for monitoring airway inflammation

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Abstract

Several inflammatory mediators have been identified in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) that is formed by breathing through a cooling system. Analysis of EBC is a noninvasive method that allows repeat measurements of lung inflammation and is potentially useful for monitoring drug therapy. Characterization of the profiles of exhaled markers could help to discriminate between different inflammatory lung diseases; thus, EBC might be a novel, noninvasive approach to monitoring lung diseases. However, several methodological issues, such as standardization of sample collection and validation of analytical techniques, need to be addressed before this method can be applied clinically. Controlled studies are needed to establish the utility of EBC markers for guiding pharmacological treatment in inflammatory lung diseases.

Section snippets

Collection of exhaled breath condensate

The collection of EBC samples is simple and easy to perform. In most studies, the equipment is home-made and generally consists of a mouthpiece with a one-way valve connected to a collecting system that is placed in either ice or liquid nitrogen to cool the breath [5]. The collecting system can be a condensing chamber with a double wall of glass, the inner wall of which is cooled by ice [7]. Generally, subjects wear a noseclip and are asked to breath tidally for 15 min through a mouthpiece

Markers in EBC

Several markers of oxidative stress and/or inflammatory mediators, such as 8-isoprostane [also known as 8-iso-prostaglandin F(PGF)], leukotrienes, prostaglandins, H2O2 and 3-nitrotyrosine, have been detected in EBC from healthy subjects and are increased in patients with different airway inflammatory diseases (Fig. 2). Collection of EBC is well accepted by patients, completely noninvasive and suitable for longitudinal studies. It is also possible to make measurements in children and in

Concluding remarks

Measurements of inflammatory mediators in EBC provide insights into the pathophysiology of inflammatory lung diseases. This method is: (1) completely noninvasive; (2) suitable for repeated measurements of lung inflammation during stable and/or exacerbated phases of airway diseases; and (3) potentially useful for assessing the efficacy of drug therapy. Analysis of EBC is a promising method to measure inflammatory mediators easily and could provide a novel, noninvasive approach to monitoring lung

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, grant'Research funds for the Faculty of Medicine', 2000–2001.

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