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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Respiratory metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL...
BMC veterinary research2020; 16(1); 233; doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02446-9

Respiratory metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) can differentiate horses affected by severe equine asthma from healthy horses.

Abstract: The use of an untargeted metabolomic approach to investigate biofluids of respiratory origin is of increasing interest in human and veterinary lung research. Considering the high incidence of equine asthma (> 14%) within horse population and the importance of this animal model for human disease, we aimed to investigate the metabolomic profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in healthy and asthmatic horses. Results: On the basis of clinical, endoscopic and BALF cytology findings, 6 horses with severe asthma (Group A) and 6 healthy horses (Group C) were included in the study. 1H-NMR analysis was used to identified metabolites in BALF and EBC samples. Metabolomic analysis allowed to identify and quantify 12 metabolites in BALF and seven metabolites in EBC. Among respiratory metabolites, myo-inositol, formate, glycerol and isopropanol in BALF, and methanol and ethanol in EBC, differed between groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The application of metabolomic studies to investigate equine asthma using minimally invasive diagnostic methods, such as EBC metabolomics, provided promising results. According to our research, the study of selective profiles of BALF and EBC metabolites might be useful for identifying molecules like myo-inositol and methanol as possible biomarkers for airways diseases in horses.
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Publication Date: 2020-07-08 PubMed ID: 32641035PubMed Central: PMC7346432DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02446-9Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research investigates the metabolic profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in healthy and asthmatic horses, examining whether differences can serve as a diagnostic tool for equine asthma.

Research Purpose

  • The study aims to identify differences in the metabolomic profiles of healthy horses versus those with severe asthma. The intent is to discover potential biomarkers that could help diagnose and treat equine asthma, which affects over 14% of the horse population.
  • By studying the metabolomic profile of the respiratory biofluids like BALF and EBC, the researchers were seeking potential non-invasive diagnostic methods for respiratory diseases in horses, and possibly extrapolate the insights for human disease research.

Methodology

  • The study included 6 healthy horses (Group C) and 6 horses with severe asthma (Group A), classified based on clinical, endoscopic, and BALF cytology findings.
  • Both BALF and EBC samples were collected from the horses and analyzed using H-NMR to identify and quantify the metabolic compounds present.

Results

  • The metabolomic analysis identified and quantified 12 metabolites in BALF and 7 metabolites in EBC.
  • Among the various identified metabolites, myo-inositol, formate, glycerol, and isopropanol in BALF, as well as methanol and ethanol in EBC showed significant differences between the healthy horses and those with severe asthma.

Conclusions

  • The research concludes that metabolomic studies of BALF and EBC can provide valuable insights in the diagnosis and management of respiratory diseases like equine asthma.
  • Specifically, the study highlights myo-inositol and methanol as possible biomarkers for respiratory diseases in horses, indicating a promising potential for the use of non-invasive diagnostic methods.

Cite This Article

APA
Bazzano M, Laghi L, Zhu C, Magi GE, Tesei B, Laus F. (2020). Respiratory metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) can differentiate horses affected by severe equine asthma from healthy horses. BMC Vet Res, 16(1), 233. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02446-9

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 1
Pages: 233

Researcher Affiliations

Bazzano, Marilena
  • School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, MC, Italy. marilena.bazzano@unicam.it.
Laghi, Luca
  • Department of Agro-Food Science and Technology, Centre of Foodomics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Zhu, Chenglin
  • Department of Agro-Food Science and Technology, Centre of Foodomics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Magi, Gian Enrico
  • School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, MC, Italy.
Tesei, Beniamino
  • School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, MC, Italy.
Laus, Fulvio
  • School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, MC, Italy.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Asthma / diagnosis
  • Asthma / veterinary
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Breath Tests
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / chemistry
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horses
  • Lung / chemistry

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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