Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Assessment of Respiratory Function in Conscious Mice by Double-chamber Plethysmography
Published on: July 10, 2018
Putative roles of circulating resistin in patients with asthma, COPD and cigarette smokers
Sana S Al Mutairi1, Olusegun A Mojiminiyi, Aida Shihab-Eldeen
1Department of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat. san.mut@hsc.edu.kw
Aims:
To investigate the hypothesis that circulating resistin reflects the degree of pulmonary inflammation, this study explores putative roles of resistin in patients with acute and stable inflammatory obstructive airway diseases and cigarette smokers.
Methods:
We determined complements C3, C4, fasting resistin, insulin, glucose and lipid profile; calculated insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) in patients with acute asthma exacerbation (n=34); stable asthma (n=26) and stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=26), cigarette smokers (n=81), and healthy control subjects (n=42). We determined the associations between these variables and pulmonary function tests.
Results:
Patients with COPD, acute and stable asthma had significantly higher resistin and insulin than control subjects. Resistin, insulin, HOMA-IR, FEV1% and FEV1/FVC were significantly (p< 0.05) different between patients with acute asthma compared with stable asthma and COPD; smokers had similar levels of resistin, C3 and C4 as patients with asthma and COPD. In smokers, patients with asthma or COPD, resistin showed significant inverse correlations with FEV1%; FEV1/FVC% and positive significant correlations with BMI and HOMA-IR. Logistic regression showed that resistin is associated (p< 0.05) with inflammatory obstructive airways disease - odds ratio (OR)=1.22 and smoking OR=1.18.
Conclusion:
Resistin may be a disease activity marker and may contribute to insulin resistance in smokers, asthma and COPD.
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease III: Chronic Bronchitis Features
Asthma I: Introduction
Asthma-II: Pathophysiology and Classification
Additionally, environmental and genetic factors play crucial roles in determining an individual's susceptibility to asthma and the severity of their condition.
Critical processes in asthma pathophysiology include:
Asthma-I: Introduction
Drugs Used in Lower Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Bronchodilators, the first step of respiration enhancement, come in various forms, each with its own mechanism...