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Identification of Exhaled Metabolites in Children with Cystic Fibrosis
Ronja Weber1, Nathan Perkins2, Tobias Bruderer3
1Department of Respiratory Medicine and Childhood Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Early detection of cystic fibrosis lung inflammation is crucial. Researchers identified 49 exhaled compounds using mass spectrometry, aiding non-invasive monitoring and personalized treatments for children with cystic fibrosis.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Early detection of inflammation and infection is vital in cystic fibrosis (CF) to prevent irreversible lung damage.
- Non-invasive monitoring tools are needed to improve the quality of life for CF patients.
- Previous research identified over 100 exhaled mass-to-charge (m/z) features distinguishing CF children from healthy controls using on-line secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To annotate as many of the previously detected m/z features as possible with putative chemical structures.
- To identify specific exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that discriminate children with CF from healthy individuals.
- To establish a foundation for future non-invasive and personalized diagnostic applications in CF.
Main Methods:
- Utilized on-line SESI-HRMS to analyze exhaled breath from CF patients and healthy controls.
- Applied a rigorous compound identification workflow involving on-line MS2 spectra analysis.
- Conducted a literature comparison to support the annotation of m/z features with chemical structures.
Main Results:
- Successfully putatively identified 49 discriminatory exhaled compounds.
- Found elevated levels of glycolic acid, glyceric acid, and xanthine in children with CF.
- Observed decreased levels of certain acylcarnitines and aldehydes in the CF group compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified specific exhaled VOC signatures differentiating children with CF from healthy controls.
- The developed compound identification workflow is effective for annotating discriminatory VOCs in breath.
- These findings represent a significant step towards developing non-invasive, personalized monitoring strategies for cystic fibrosis.
Abstract:
The early detection of inflammation and infection is important to prevent irreversible lung damage in cystic fibrosis. Novel and non-invasive monitoring tools would be of high benefit for the quality of life of patients. Our group previously detected over 100 exhaled mass-to-charge (m/z) features, using on-line secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS), which distinguish children with cystic fibrosis from healthy controls. The aim of this study was to annotate as many m/z features as possible with putative chemical structures. Compound identification was performed by applying a rigorous workflow, which included the analysis of on-line MS2 spectra and a literature comparison. A total of 49 discriminatory exhaled compounds were putatively identified. A group of compounds including glycolic acid, glyceric acid and xanthine were elevated in the cystic fibrosis group. A large group of acylcarnitines and aldehydes were found to be decreased in cystic fibrosis. The proposed compound identification workflow was used to identify signatures of volatile organic compounds that discriminate children with cystic fibrosis from healthy controls, which is the first step for future non-invasive and personalized applications.
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