Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 162, Number 4, October 2000, 1450-1454

Elevation of Exhaled Ethane Concentration in Asthma

PAOLO PAREDI, SERGEI A. KHARITONOV, and PETER J. BARNES

Department of Thoracic Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College School of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, United Kingdom

Ethane is a product of lipid peroxidation as a result of oxidative stress and can be detected in the exhaled air. Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We measured exhaled ethane in 26 asthmatic subjects (mean age ± SEM, 38 ± 8 yr; 15 male, FEV₁ 60 ± 4%) and compared it with exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measured by chemiluminescence, a noninvasive marker of oxidative stress and inflammation. Exhaled ethane was collected during a flow- and pressure-controlled exhalation into a reservoir discarding dead space air contaminated with ambient air. A sample of the expired air was analyzed by chromatography. Exhaled ethane levels were elevated in asthma patients not receiving steroid (n = 12, 2.06 ± 0.30 ppb) compared with steroid-treated patients (n = 14, 0.79 ± 0.10 ppb, p < 0.01) and to 14 nonsmoking control subjects (0.88 ± 0.09 ppb, p < 0.05). In patients not receiving steroid treatment there was a positive correlation between exhaled ethane and NO (r = 0.55, p < 0.05) and air trapping assessed by the ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/ TLC) (r = 0.60, p < 0.05). In addition, untreated patients with FEV₁ < 60% predicted value had higher concentrations of ethane (2.86 ± 0.37 ppb) compared with less obstructed patients (FEV₁ > 60%, 1.26 ± 0.12 ppb, p < 0.05). NO concentrations were higher in patients not on steroid treatment (14.7 ± 1.7 ppb) than in steroid-treated patients (8.6 ± 0.5 ppb, p < 0.05). Exhaled ethane is elevated in asthma, reduced in steroid-treated patients, and correlates with NO and airway obstruction. It may be a useful noninvasive marker of oxidative stress.

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