Title:Metabolomics of Exhaled Breath Condensate by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry: A Methodological Approach
Volume: 27
Issue: 14
Author(s): Mauro Maniscalco*, Adele Cutignano, Debora Paris, Dominique J. Melck, Antonio Molino, Salvatore Fuschillo and Andrea Motta*
Affiliation:
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit, ICS Maugeri SpA IRCCS, Via Bagni Vecchi 1, 82037 Telese Terme (Benevento),Italy
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council, Via Campi Flegrei 34, Comprensorio Olivetti Edificio A, 80078 Pozzuoli (Naples),Italy
Keywords:
Airway diseases, exhaled breath condensate, lung, rehabilitation, mass spectrometry, metabolomics,
NMR spectroscopy.
Abstract: Respiratory diseases present a very high prevalence in the general population, with an
increase in morbidity, mortality and health-care expenses worldwide. They are complex and heterogeneous
pathologies that may present different pathological facets in different subjects, often
with personal evolution. Therefore, there is a need to identify patients with similar characteristics,
prognosis or treatment, defining the so-called phenotype, but also to mark specific differences
within each phenotype, defining the endotypes.
Biomarkers are very useful to study respiratory phenotypes and endotypes. Metabolomics, one of
the recently introduced “omics”, is becoming a leading technique for biomarker discovery. For the
airways, metabolomics appears to be well suited as the respiratory tract offers a natural matrix, the
Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC), in which several biomarkers can be measured. In this review,
we will discuss the main methodological issues related to the application of Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry (MS) to EBC metabolomics for investigating
respiratory diseases.