High sputum total adiponectin is associated with low odds for asthma.
OBJECTIVE
Adipose tissue produces adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory protein. High systemic total adiponectin is associated with a low risk for incident asthma but the association with lung adiponectin is not known. Our objective was to evaluate the association between sputum total adiponectin and asthma.


METHODS
This case-control study included 44 cases with objectively-confirmed asthma and an equal number of body mass index (BMI) and sex-matched controls. Serum and sputum adiponectin were estimated by ELISA and Western Blot technique, respectively. While Fisher's exact test, t-test and Spearman's correlations were used for univariate analyses, Spearman and regression analyses were performed for multivariable analyses.


RESULTS
While high-molecular-weight adiponectin was the dominant isoform in serum, medium-molecular-weight isoform was dominant in sputum. Sputum total adiponectin was not correlated with serum adiponectin or BMI. Sputum total adiponectin was lower among asthmatics than controls (p = 0.03), although individual sputum isoforms were not similarly associated. High sputum total adiponectin was associated with lower odds for asthma (OR 0.33, 95% C.I. 0.12, 0.91), even after adjustment for systemic adiposity measures including serum adiponectin.


CONCLUSIONS
High sputum total adiponectin predicted lower odds for asthma, even after adjustment for serum adiponectin. Although not studied, it is possible that pharmacological modulation of sputum adiponectin may suggest new ways to prevent and/or treat asthma.
School of Medicine, University of New Mexico , Albuquerque, NM , USA .
Akshay
A
Sood
JeanClare
J
Seagrave
Guy
G
Herbert
Michelle
M
Harkins
Yasir
Y
Alam
Annalisa
A
Chiavaroli
Rugia
R
Shohreh
Paolo
P
Montuschi
Matthew
M
Campen
Molly
M
Harmon
Clifford
C
Qualls
Marianne
M
Berwick
Mark
M
Schuyler
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry*
D052242:Adiponectin
Adiponectin; adiposity; airway inflammation; asthma; obesity; oxidant stress