Lipidomics reveals the serum profiles of pediatric allergic rhinitis and its severity

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Immunology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a widespread chronic inflammatory condition affecting children globally.
• While bioactive lipids are known to influence AR, the specific serum lipidomic alterations in pediatric AR remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the serum lipidomic profiles of children diagnosed with allergic rhinitis.
• To identify specific lipids associated with AR and explore their diagnostic potential and correlation with disease severity markers.

Main Methods:

• Employed ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS) for serum lipidomic analysis.
• Compared lipid profiles between children with AR (n=75) and healthy controls (n=44).
• Utilized receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess the diagnostic value of identified lipids.

Main Results:

• Identified 42 differentially expressed lipids between AR patients and controls (p < 0.05, fold change > 2).
• Significantly elevated serum levels of diacylglycerols (DG), triacylglycerols (TG), fatty acids (FA), lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC), and other lipids were observed in the AR group.
• Five lipids (FA 30:7, LPC O-18:1, LPC 18:0, LPC 16:0, DG 34:0) demonstrated high diagnostic potential (Area Under Curve > 0.9).
• Positive correlations were found between serum IgE and IL-33 levels and serum DGs, LPCs, TGs, and FAs in AR patients.

Conclusions:

• This research elucidates the specific lipidomic alterations associated with allergic rhinitis in children.
• The identified lipids, particularly DG, TG, FA, and LPCs, are implicated in AR pathology and severity.
• These findings provide novel insights into the role of lipid metabolism in pediatric AR and suggest potential biomarkers for diagnosis and severity assessment.