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Updated: May 24, 2026

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Nasal cell DNA methylation, inflammation, lung function and wheezing in children with asthma
Andrea Baccarelli1, Franca Rusconi, Valentina Bollati
1Exposure Epidemiology & Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA. abaccare@hsph.harvard.edu
Aims:
DNA methylation is increasingly proposed as a mechanism for underlying asthma-related inflammation. However, epigenetic studies are constrained by uncertainties on whether samples that can be easily collected in human individuals can provide informative results.
Methods:
Two nasal cell DNA samples were collected on different days by nasal brushings from 35 asthmatic children aged between 8 and 11 years old. We correlated DNA methylation of IL-6, iNOS, Alu and LINE-1 with fractional exhaled nitric oxide, forced expiratory volume in 1 s and wheezing.
Results:
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide increased in association with lower promoter methylation of both IL-6 (+29.0%; p = 0.004) and iNOS (+41.0%; p = 0.002). Lower IL-6 methylation was nonsignificantly associated with wheezing during the week of the study (odds ratio = 2.3; p = 0.063).
Conclusion:
Our findings support the use of nasal cell DNA for human epigenetic studies of asthma.
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