title: Monocyte chemotactic protein-4 (MCP-4; CCL-13): a biomarker of asthma.
abstract: Airway expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-4 (MCP-4; CCL-13) is known to be increased in asthmatic airways where it is induced by proallergic cytokines, but the relationship of its systemic expression to asthma and naturally occurring exacerbations is unknown. We determined plasma levels of MCP-4 in 356 individuals with chronic-stable asthma and 240 normal subjects and compared plasma levels of MCP-4 in 30 patients who presented for emergent treatment of asthma with levels in 90 subjects with chronic-stable asthma matched for age, gender, and ethnicity. Median plasma MCP-4 levels were higher in patients with chronic-stable asthma than in normal subjects (399 vs. 307 pg/mL) (p < 0.001). In our entire cohort (n = 596), subjects with an MCP-4 > 218 pg/mL were at increased risk of asthma (p < 0.001 odds ratio, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.22-4.79). Logistic regression identified MCP-4 as an independent predictor of asthma diagnosis. The MCP-4 levels are higher in individuals with an acute asthma exacerbation than in subjects with chronic-stable asthma (513 vs. 355 pg/mL) (p = 0.002). The MCP-4 is a systemically expressed biomarker that independently predicts susceptibility to asthma and is directly associated with exacerbations. Elevated MCP-4 levels identify a group of asthmatics with systemic evidence of allergic inflammation who may be at risk for exacerbations or may benefit from abrogation of MCP-4.
authors.affiliation: The Combined Program in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kalayci
authors.forename: Larry A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sonna
authors.forename: Prescott G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Luster
authors.forename: Craig M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lilly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018945:Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C099677:CCL13 protein, human; D018945:Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins