Osteopontin and Periostin Are Associated with a 20-Year Decline of Pulmonary Function in Patients with Asthma

摘要

Although longitudinal studies have demonstrated that subjects with asthma show a similar degree of decline in pulmonary function compared with those without asthma (1, 2), a subset of subjects with asthma show rapid decline of pulmonary function despite having received adequate treatment (3). Several biomarkers, including serum periostin (3), and inflammatory cells, such as airway CD8 T lymphocytes (4), are associated with accelerated pulmonary function decline in patients with asthma. However, the impact of bronchial pathological findings on long-term pulmonary function decline has remained poorly understood. Osteopontin and periostin, both of which can bind to other extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagens, fibronectin, and tenascin-C, and contribute to the remodeling of various organs including the airway, are increased in asthmatic airways (5, 6). Thus, we inquired if the expression levels of osteopontin, periostin, or other factors in bronchial biopsy samples at an initial stage could predict a 20-year decline of pulmonary function in patients with asthma. This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee.