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Sputum high mobility group box-1 in asthmatic children: a noninvasive sensitive biomarker reflecting disease status

Caterina Cuppari1, Sara Manti1, Valeria Chirico1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Unit of Pediatric Genetics and Immunology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.

Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology : Official Publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
|August 8, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Sputum high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is a sensitive biomarker for childhood allergic asthma. Elevated HMGB1 levels correlate with increased asthma severity and decreased lung function in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Allergic Diseases

Background:

  • Asthma monitoring relies on clinical history, physical exams, and lung function tests.
  • New biomarkers for airway inflammation, such as high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), are under development.
  • Understanding asthma pathophysiology requires novel indicators of disease activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure sputum HMGB1 levels in children with stable, untreated allergic asthma.
  • To investigate the relationship between HMGB1 levels and lung function parameters in pediatric asthma.
  • To establish HMGB1 as a potential biomarker for childhood allergic asthma.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study involving 50 children with asthma and 44 healthy controls.
  • Sputum samples were collected to assess HMGB1 levels.
  • Lung function (FEV1%, FEF25%-75%), serum total IgE, and asthma severity were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Sputum HMGB1 levels were significantly higher in children with asthma compared to healthy controls (P < .0001).
  • HMGB1 levels showed a positive correlation with total IgE (r = 0.6567, P < .0001).
  • Inverse correlations were found between HMGB1 and lung function indices (FEV1%, FEF25%-75%) across all asthma severity levels (P < .05).

Conclusions:

  • Sputum HMGB1 serves as a sensitive biomarker for allergic asthma in children.
  • Increased HMGB1 levels are associated with greater asthma severity.
  • HMGB1 inversely correlates with pulmonary function, highlighting its role in airway obstruction.
Abstract

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