Asthma often begins in childhood, although making an early diagnosis is difficult. Clinical manifestations, the exclusion of other causes of bronchial obstruction, and responsiveness to anti-inflammatory therapy are the main tool of diagnosis. However, novel, precise, and functional biochemical markers are needed in the differentiation of asthma phenotypes, endotypes, and creating personalized therapy. The aim of the study was to search for metabolomic-based asthma biomarkers among free amino acids (AAs). A wide panel of serum-free AAs in asthmatic children, covering both proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic AAs, were analyzed. The examination included two groups of individuals between 3 and 18 years old: asthmatic children and the control group consisted of children with neither asthma nor allergies. High-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS technique) was used for AA measurements. The data were analyzed by applying uni- and multivariate statistical tests. The obtained results indicate the decreased serum concentration of taurine, L-valine, DL-β-aminoisobutyric acid, and increased levels of ƴ-amino-n-butyric acid and L-arginine in asthmatic children when compared to controls. The altered concentration of these AAs can testify to their role in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma. The authors’ results should contribute to the future introduction of new diagnostic markers into clinical practice.

中文翻译：

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儿童哮喘中无血清氨基酸谱的变化。

哮喘通常始于儿童期，尽管很难进行早期诊断。临床表现，排除其他原因的支气管阻塞以及对消炎治疗的反应性是诊断的主要工具。但是，在哮喘表型，内型的分化和个性化治疗中，需要新颖，精确和功能强大的生化标记。该研究的目的是在游离氨基酸（AAs）中寻找基于代谢组学的哮喘生物标志物。分析了哮喘儿童中广泛的无血清AA，包括蛋白原和非蛋白原AA。该检查包括两组年龄在3至18岁之间的个体：哮喘儿童和对照组，既没有哮喘也没有过敏儿童。高效液相色谱法与串联质谱法（LC-MS / MS技术）结合用于AA测量。通过应用单变量和多变量统计检验来分析数据。获得的结果表明，与对照组相比，哮喘儿童的牛磺酸，L-缬氨酸，DL-β-氨基异丁酸血清浓度降低，而β-氨基-正丁酸和L-精氨酸水平升高。这些AA浓度的变化可以证明其在儿童哮喘发病机理中的作用。作者的结果应有助于将来将新的诊断标记物引入临床实践。获得的结果表明，与对照组相比，哮喘儿童的牛磺酸，L-缬氨酸，DL-β-氨基异丁酸血清浓度降低，而β-氨基-正丁酸和L-精氨酸水平升高。这些AA浓度的变化可以证明其在儿童哮喘发病机理中的作用。作者的结果应有助于将来将新的诊断标记物引入临床实践。获得的结果表明，与对照组相比，哮喘儿童的牛磺酸，L-缬氨酸，DL-β-氨基异丁酸血清浓度降低，而β-氨基-正丁酸和L-精氨酸水平升高。这些AA浓度的变化可以证明其在儿童哮喘发病机理中的作用。作者的结果应有助于将来将新的诊断标记物引入临床实践。