Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are associated with clinical severity in school age children with asthma.
BACKGROUND
Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways with significant changes in leucocyte trafficking, cellular activation and tissue remodelling. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been involved with asthma and allergic diseases but its role as a severity marker in paediatric asthma has not been clinically assessed.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate plasma BDNF and inflammatory markers in order to address their relationships with disease severity in children (6-15 years) with controlled persistent asthma.


METHODS
Children with persistent asthma were selected and lung function and skin prick tests were performed in all patients. Plasma BDNF levels and various inflammatory markers (CCL3, CCL11, CCL22, CCL24, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, soluble TNF receptors) were assessed by ELISAs.


RESULTS
Subjects with moderate and severe asthma had higher BDNF levels than mild asthma and controls (P<0.001). The chemokines studied and soluble TNF receptors did not differ between the studied groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate BDNF as a potential biomarker for clinical severity in children with asthma.
Müller
G C
GC
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Pitrez
P M
PM
Teixeira
A L
AL
Pires
P S
PS
Jones
M H
MH
Stein
R T
RT
Bauer
M E
ME
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor