Key result
Asthmatic children show ~27% higher serum periostin and elevated YKL-40 versus healthy controls.
Why the study?
Periostin and YKL-40 are implicated in airway fibrosis and remodeling, but their relationships with airway hyperresponsiveness in pediatric asthma required investigation.
Do serum periostin and YKL-40 levels correlate with airway hyperresponsiveness in pediatric asthma?
Case-Control (n=104)
Do serum periostin and YKL-40 levels correlate with airway hyperresponsiveness in pediatric asthma?
Serum periostin and YKL-40 are elevated in pediatric asthma and correlate with different aspects of airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.
Supports periostin and YKL-40 as potential pediatric asthma biomarkers; leaves open clinical utility pending prospective validation.
Background Periostin and human chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) have been suggested to be involved in the development of airway fibrosis and remodeling. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum periostin levels and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and between serum YKL-40 levels and AHR in children with asthma, comparing periostin as a marker for Th2 inflammation and atopy with YKL-40. Methods The study involved children aged 6–15 years, comprising 75 with asthma and 29 healthy controls. We measured serum periostin and YKL-40 levels and performed exercise bronchial provocation tests, methacholine challenge tests, spirometry, and FeNO measurements. Results Compared to the healthy controls, asthmatic children exhibited significantly elevated levels of periostin (86.7 [71.0–104.0] vs 68.3 [56.0–82.0] ng/mL; P = 0.006) and YKL-40 (29.0 [15.0–39.5] vs 27.7 [14.0–34.1] ng/mL; P = 0.034). The subgroup analysis revealed that periostin levels were significantly higher in the atopic asthma group than in the healthy controls (P = 0.003), but not in the non-atopic asthma group. YKL-40 levels were elevated in both the atopic and non-atopic asthma groups compared to healthy controls (P = 0.012 and P = 0.001, respectively). Serum periostin levels were significantly correlated with the postexerceise maximum percentage decrease in forced expiratory volume (FEV 1 ), as well as with fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil counts, but showed no significant correlation with overall lung function. Conversely, serum YKL-40 levels were significantly linked to the Z score of FEV 1 and AHR to methacholine but not with AHR to exercise or FeNO or blood eosinophil count. Conclusions Periostin is linked to atopic asthma and correlates with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, FeNO, and eosinophil counts, highlighting its role in Th2 inflammation. YKL-40 is a general asthma marker, indicating airway remodeling. These findings suggest that targeting these markers can improve personalized treatment strategies for pediatric asthma.
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Kim et al. (2024) conducted a case-control in Pediatric asthma (n=104). Asthma vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Serum periostin levels (ng/mL) (p=0.006). Asthmatic children exhibited significantly elevated levels of serum periostin (86.7 vs 68.3 ng/mL; P=0.006) and YKL-40 (29.0 vs 27.7 ng/mL; P=0.034) compared to healthy controls.
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