Exhaled carbon monoxide and nitric oxide in COPD.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) could be used as noninvasive in vivo biomarkers of oxidative stress in the lungs of patients with COPD.


METHODS
Single-center cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Ten healthy nonsmokers, 12 smokers, 15 stable ex-smokers with COPD, and 15 stable current smokers with COPD.


METHODS
Subjects attended the outpatient clinic on one occasion for pulmonary function tests and exhaled CO and NO measurements.


RESULTS
Mean (+/- SEM) CO levels in ex-smokers with COPD were higher (7.4 +/- 1.9 ppm; p < 0.05) than in nonsmoking control subjects (3.0 +/- 0.3 ppm) but were lower than in current smokers with COPD (20.0 +/- 2.6 ppm; p < 0.001). There was no correlation between exhaled CO and NO. There was no correlation between CO and lung function tests in any group of patients. Exhaled NO was higher in ex-smokers with COPD (12.0 +/- 1.0 parts per billion [ppb]; p < 0.001) than in healthy nonsmokers (6.5 +/- 0.6 ppb) and in current smokers with COPD (7.6 +/- 1.1 ppb; p < 0.01) compared to healthy smokers (3.3 +/- 0.4 ppb). Ex-smokers with COPD had higher exhaled NO levels than did current smokers with COPD (p < 0.001) There was a negative correlation between exhaled NO and FEV(1) in both ex-smokers with COPD (r = -0.60; p < 0.02) and current smokers with COPD (r = -0.59; p < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
The measurement of exhaled CO and NO may represent a new method for the noninvasive monitoring of airway inflammation and oxidant stress in COPD ex-smokers. Exhaled CO and NO are strongly affected by cigarette smoking, which limits their usefulness as biomarkers in current smokers.
Montuschi
P
P
Department of Thoracic Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, UK. p.montuschi@ic.ac.uk
Kharitonov
S A
SA
Barnes
P J
PJ
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology
D015415:Biomarkers; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide