ADAMTS5 May Serve as a Useful Biomarker for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type I repeats 5 (ADAMTS5) is related to inflammation and regulates the extracellular matrix. This study aimed to investigate the plasma ADAMTS5 levels and the correlations between ADAMTS5 and pulmonary function parameters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to test the efficiency of ADAMTS5 for COPD diagnosis.

Seventy-nine patients with COPD and 36 healthy subjects were recruited. The plasma ADAMTS5 levels of all subjects were detected by ELISA. The correlations between ADAMTS5 and pulmonary function parameters were analyzed. The multiple linear regression analysis with stepwise selection was used to explore the relationship between ADAMTS5 and pulmonary function parameters. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the role of ADAMTS5 in the diagnosis of COPD.

All patients with COPD were divided into acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) group (n=45) and stable COPD (S-COPD) group (n=34). Additionally, healthy subjects were included in control group (n=36). Plasma ADAMTS5 levels in AECOPD or S-COPD groups were significantly higher than those in control group (83.49±17.10ng/mL vs 61.59±15.33ng/mL, p<0.001; 69.87±11.84ng/mL vs 61.59±15.33ng/mL, p=0.014, respectively). In addition, plasma ADAMTS5 levels in AECOPD group were significantly higher than in S-COPD group (p<0.001). Meanwhile, the ADAMTS5 was negatively correlated with FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, PEF%, or FEF25-75%. Importantly, the ADAMTS5 was associated with FVC% and FEV1/FVC%. In addition, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ADAMTS5 for the diagnosis of COPD was 0.789 and the optimal threshold was 63.22ng/mL, exhibiting the sensitivity and specificity of 83.54% and 75.00%, respectively. Moreover, the ADAMTSS5 was an independent risk factor for COPD.

The level of plasma ADAMTS5 is increased and independently associated with FVC% and FEV1/FVC% in COPD. The ADAMTS5 exhibits moderate diagnostic accuracy in COPD. The ADAMTS5 has the potential to serve as a promising biomarker for COPD diagnosis.