Serum chitotriosidase levels in patients with allergic and non-allergic asthma.

摘要

Asthma is a complex inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by bronchial hyper-reactivity to different stimuli, and its pathogenesis is not always completely clear. Chitinases and chitinase-like proteins have recently been proposed as molecules involved in the pathogenesis of asthma with a possible role as prognostic biomarkers [1-6].Higher serum concentrations of YKL-40 (chitinase-3-like-l), a 'mammalian chitinase-like protein', have been reported [2,4,5] in asthma patients and hyper-responsive subjects than in controls. The YKL-40 gene has been associated with genetic susceptibility to the disease. Acid mammalian chitinase (AMCase) has been studied in animal models of airway inflammation [3] and AMCase gene expression has been investigated in detail in BAL fluid macrophages and epithelial brushing from asthma patients [1,5].