Significance of oxidative stress in acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma

Objective To observe predictive significance of serum reactive oxygen species (ROS), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), protein carbonyls (PC), malondialdehyde (MDA), nuclear factor of kappaB (NF-κB), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in patients with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. Methods Sixty patients with bronchial asthma acute exacerbation and 60 healthy individuals in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Hospital between October 2016 to March 2017 were recruited in the study. The patients were assigned into pre-treatment (A) group (further into the mild subgroup and the moderate-severity subgroup according to the severity) and post-treatment (B) group according to treatment. Sixty healthy individuals were set as control (C) group. The serum levels of ROS, 8-OHdG, PC, MDA, NF-κB, H₂S and T-AOC were tested with ELISA. The pulmonary function (FEV1%pred) and asthma control test (ACT) were measured. Results ① The levels of ROS, 8-OHdG, PC, MDA and NF-κB in group C were lower than those in group B, and then group A; The levels of H₂S and T-AOC were higher in group C than group B, and then group A, the difference was significant (all P<0.05). ② The levels of ROS, PC, MDA and NF-κB in the moderate to severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild group; However, the levels of H₂S and T-AOC in the moderate to severe group were significantly lower as compared with the mild group (all P<0.05). ③ The serum levels of ROS, PC, MDA and NF-κB were negatively correlated with T-AOC, FEV1%pred and ACT (P<0.05), however, the serum level of H₂S were positively correlated with T-AOC, FEV1%pred and ACT (all P<0.05). ④ The serum levels of PC and MDA were affected by ROS (all P<0.05), especially MDA (β=0.411). Conclusion The oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. ROS may cause damage to the body through NF-κB induced protein and lipid peroxidation. Endogenous H₂S may play an antioxidant role by inhibiting ROS and NF-κB activity. ROS, PC and MDA could be used as monitoring indicators for bronchial asthma severity and control level. Endogenous H₂S may be a potential target for the treatment of bronchial asthma.