Leukotrienes and prostanoids in exhaled breath condensate in childhood asthma

The aim of the present study was the identification of the profile of eicosanoids in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in childhood asthma. We also measured exhaled nitric oxide (NO), as an independent marker of airway inflammation. Using immunoassays, we measured leukotriene (LT) E 4, LTB 4, prostaglandin (PG) E 2, thromboxane B 2 (TxB 2), and 8-isoprostane, a marker of oxidative stress, in EBC in 32 steroid-naïve children with mild intermittent asthma (15/17 males/females, age 9 ± 1 years, means ± SEM, FEV 1 94.9 ± 2.5% pred), 32 steroid-treated asthmatic children (16/16 males/females, age 9 ± 1 years, FEV 1 96.2 ± 3.3% pred), and 18 controls (8/10 males/females, age 10 ± 1 years, 99 ± 1.8% pred). EBC was collected by a commercially available condenser (Jaeger, Germany). Apart from TxB 2, exhaled eicosanoids were detectable in all subjects of each study group. Exhaled LTE 4 and 8-isoprostane were increased in both steroid-naïve (LTE 4: 30.0 ± 1.7 pg/ml, p