Abstract

Aims. We aimed at determining differences between the composition of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and from control individuals with the use of liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Another aim of this study was to improve the methodology for EBC collection and analysis of samples with LC/MS/MS.

Methods. EBC was collected from 21 control individuals, from 11 patients with asthma and from 9 individuals with COPD and analysed with LC/MS/MS.

Results. A procedure appropriate to be used for analysis of EBC samples with LC/MS/MS was developed. Comparison of the mass spectra of EBC from the COPD and asthma patients with those from the controls revealed differently expressed substance with a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) 288. In the asthma patients, additional 91 significant differences from the controls for m/z were found, indicating differences between the asthma patients and the controls in more EBC constituents than does COPD.

Conclusions. This pilot study demonstrates the existence of specific fingerprints in EBC composition for chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Further efforts are necessary to identify potential markers to validate their clinical relevance.