Analysis of serum polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

BACKGROUND: The importance of lipid mediators in allergic diseases has been long recognized, whereas little is known about their role in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). We investigated whether lipid mediators are associated with ABPA. METHODS: We recruited 12 ABPA patients, 23 asthma patients and 12 healthy control in our study. Serum of 11 ABPA patients were collected before and following treatment. 36 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites were measured in serum samples by using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, with ethics number GYFYY-2016-73. RESULTS: Levels of arachidonic acid (AA), 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), 12(S)-HETE, 8(S)-HETE, 5(S)-HETE, LTB(4), PGB(2), 12(S)-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (HEPE), 12-hydro-xyheptadecatrienoic acid (HHTrE) were significantly higher in ABPA patients than that in HC groups. Compared with asthma group, ABPA group expressed lower levels of 15(S)-hy-droperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HPETE), 5(S)-HPETE, 13(S)-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (HPODE) and 9(S)-HPODE. In APBA patients, AA level was positively correlated with serumtotal IgE (tIgE). The levels of 12(S)-HPETE, 15(S)-HEPE and 12(S)-HEPE correlated with Asp-ergillus fumigatus specific IgE(A. fumigatus sIgE) positively. Peripheral blood eosinophilia correlated with high levels of 12(S)-HETE and 15(S)-HETE. In addition, the serum levels of15(S)-HETE and 12(S)-HETE in ABPA subjects both declined with the decrease of tIgE, A. fumigatus sIgE and sIgG concentrations after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We present data regarding the role of polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites in APBA for the first time. Most of the tested metabolites increased in ABPA when co-mpared with healthy controls and 15(S)-HETE and 12(S)-HETE may play a role in the pat-hogenesis of ABPA. These findings can provide new ideas for diagnosis, therapy and mon-itor of ABPA.