Plasma level of endogenous hydrogen sulfide in patients with acute asthma

Objective To investigate the chag of endogenous hydrogen sulfide(H2S) in patients with asthma.Methods Levels of serum H2S,lung function and cell differential count in induced sputum were studied in 40 patients with acute exacerbation of asthma,30 patients with stable asthma and 15 health subjects.Results The serum H2S level was(73.23±12.85) μmol/L in controls(15 cases),(57.22±12.62) μmol/L in patients with stable asthma(30 cases),(54.18±6.15) μmol/L in patients with mild of acute exacerbation asthma(10cases),(42.30±5.08) μmol/L in that with moderate of acute exacerbation asthma(12cases),and(34.15±2.14) μmol/L in that with severe of acute exacerbation asthma(18cases),F=40.348,P 0.01.Status of the subjects(in good health,stable asthma,and exacerbation of asthma) was positively correlated with H2S in serum(r=0.723,P0.01).H2S in serum was positively correlated with FEV110 %(r=0.845,P0.01) and the percentage of sputum macophages(r=0.816,P0.01).While it was negatively correlated with total count of sputum cells(r=-0.406,P0.01),the percentage of sputum neutrophils(r=-0.892,P 0.01) and the percentage of sputum eosinophiles(r=-0.638,P0.01).Conclusion Endogenous H2S may be involved in the pathogenesis of airway obstruction in asthma and may be a noninvasive marker of disease activity and severity.