title: Potential roles of pentosidine in age-related and disease-related impairment of pulmonary functions in patients with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pentosidine is well established as an intermolecular cross-linking type of advanced glycation end products, and it accumulates with aging in various connective tissues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether pentosidine contributes to age-related and disease-related impairment of pulmonary functions in patients with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured pentosidine levels in induced sputum from young to elderly patients with asthma and assessed the slope of the nitrogen (N(2)) alveolar plateau (delta N(2)), closing volume (CV), and closing capacity (CC) from a nitrogen washout curve in a single breath.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pentosidine levels in induced sputum were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in normal controls (patients with asthma: median, 20.1, interquartile range, 16.7-26.5 ng/mL; normal controls: median, 3.0, interquartile range, 0.7-7.5 ng/mL; P < .001). The levels were closely correlated with age in both normal controls and patients with asthma. However, the slope of age-related increase in pentosidine levels was markedly steeper in patients with asthma than in normal controls. CV/vital capacity, CC/total lung capacity, and delta N(2) increased with aging in both normal controls and patients with asthma. Moreover, in each range of age (21-40, 41-60, 61-80 years), CV/vital capacity, CC/total lung capacity, and delta N(2) were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in normal controls. In addition, pentosidine levels in patients with asthma were closely correlated with each of these variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrated the association between sputum levels of pentosidine and age-related small airways function in both normal controls and patients with asthma. Moreover, the age-related increase in pentosidine levels was more pronounced in patients with asthma. These findings will herald new era in the pathophysiology of elderly asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan. kanazawa-h@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tochino
authors.forename: Shigenori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kyoh
authors.forename: Yukikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichimaru
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D001120:Arginine; C062187:pentosidine; D008239:Lysine