Oxidized glutathione and uric acid as biomarkers of early cystic fibrosis lung disease

Background

In cystic fibrosis (CF) there is an urgent need for earlier diagnosis of pulmonary infections and inflammation using blood- and urine-based biomarkers.

Methods

Using mass spectrometry, oxidation products of glutathione and uric acid were measured in matched samples of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), serum and urine from 36 infants and children with CF, and related to markers of neutrophilic inflammation and infection in BAL.

Results

Oxidation products of glutathione (glutathione sulfonamide, GSA) and uric acid (allantoin), were elevated in BAL of children with pulmonary infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) compared to those without (p < 0.05) and correlated with other markers of neutrophilic inflammation. Serum GSA was significantly elevated in children with PsA infections (p < 0.01). Urinary GSA correlated with pulmonary GSA (r = 0.42, p < 0.05) and markers of neutrophilic inflammation.

Conclusions

This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that urinary GSA but not allantoin shows promise as a non-invasive marker of neutrophilic inflammation in early CF lung disease.