Urine test can show asthma severity and produce new treatments

A study by researchers at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, could revolutionize treatment of 262 million asthmatics worldwide. Based on a biochemical profile (metabolite) detectable in urine tests, new specific drugs are expected to be developed for the treatment of the disease.

The research worked with the concepts of metabolomics, a scientific study aimed at describing the set of metabolites (metabolome) produced by an organism. Therefore, the study says, “molecular signatures associated with adult and pediatric asthma,” based on mass spectrometry in patients’ blood and urine.

How was research on asthmatics done?

Researchers analyzed urine samples from more than 600 participants from 11 countries participating in the European Lung Foundation’s U-BIOPRED study; 100 healthy participants, 87 with mild to moderate asthma and 418 with severe asthma. Metabolomics reveals 90 metabolites40 of these were significantly altered in severe asthma.

Detection highlights a peculiar type of metabolite – carnitines – The compound that transports fatty acids to the mitochondria to produce energy and also plays an important role in the body’s immune responses. This urinary biomarker was lower in severe asthmatics than in individuals with mild to moderate conditions of the disease.

The researchers concluded that severe asthmatics have an irregular systemic metabotype compared to individuals. healthy. In the study, it was possible to observe that altered carnitine metabolism could constitute an important therapeutic target for the treatment of asthma.

ARTICLE – European Respiratory Journal – DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01733-2021.