Surfactant Protein B Plasma Levels: Reliability as a Biomarker in COPD Patients

Abstract

Background: The diagnosis of COPD is based on both clinical signs and functional tests. Although there are different functional tests used to assess COPD, no reliable biomarkers able to provide information on pathogenesis and severity are available. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between surfactant protein B (Sp-B) serum levels and clinical, radiological, and functional pulmonary parameters in COPD patients. Methods: Forty COPD patients and twenty smokers without airflow limitations or respiratory symptoms were enrolled. Each patient was given questionnaires (CAT and mMRC) and 6MWT, spirometry, DLCO, and computer tomography (CT) were performed. All participants underwent a venous blood sample drawing, and quantitative detection of their Sp-B plasma levels was performed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The spirometry and Sp-B plasma levels were assessed after 12 months. Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the plasma Sp-B levels between COPD patients compared to the other group (4.72 + 3.2 ng/mL vs. 1.78 + 1.5 ng/mL; p < 0.001). The change in FEV1 after 12 months (Delta FEV1) showed a significantly negative correlation with respect to the change in Sp-B levels (Delta SpB) (r = −0.4; p < 0.05). This correlation indicates that increasing the plasma dosage of SpB is a foretoken of functional decline. Conclusions: SpB may be considered as a useful marker in COPD assessment and provides prognostic information on lung functional decline. Despite its usefulness, further studies are needed to define its reliability as a biomarker.

The Prognostic Value of Blood Eosinophil Level in AECOPD is Influenced by Corticosteroid Treatment During Hospitalization

“…A recent study suggested that surfactant protein B was a lung-specific prognostic biomarker in COPD. 43 Dysregulation of surfactant proteins is associated with many eosinophilic lung diseases. 44 Future studies are needed to elucidate the role of surfactant proteins in eosinophilic exacerbation of COPD.…”

Predictive Value of GDF-15 and sST2 for Pulmonary Hypertension in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…15,16 D'Ascanio et al showed that SpB might be considered as a useful marker in COPD assessment and provided prognostic information on lung functional decline. 17 Therefore, the present study aimed to assess whether GDF-15 and sST2 could be early indicators of AECOPD-PH. It has been reported that GDF-15 can be used as a signature in some diseases.…”

Validation of a Blood-Based Protein Biomarker Panel for a Risk Assessment of Lethal Lung Cancer in the Physicians’ Health Study

“…Numerous lung cancer risk prediction models including Bach [ 8 ], Spitz [ 9 ], the Liverpool Lung Project (LLP) and Liverpool Lung Project Incidence (LLPi) Risk Models [ 10 , 11 ], Hoggart [ 12 ], PLCOm2012 [ 13 ], Pittsburgh [ 7 ], and the Lung Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (LCRAT) [ 14 ] were developed to identify individuals at high risk of lung cancer and who may benefit from LCS [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Additional models such as the Lung Cancer Death Risk Assessment Tool (LCDRAT) [ 14 ] and the Kovalchik model [ 15 ] predict lung cancer mortality.…”

“…Further improvements in lung cancer risk prediction may be achieved using biomarkers. Previously, our group established the merits of a four-marker protein panel (4MP) consisting of the precursor form of surfactant protein B (Pro-SFTPB) [ 8 , 9 , 10 ], cancer antigen 125 (CA125), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and cytokeratin-19 fragment (CYFRA21-1). The Pro-SFTPB was found to result from the activation of the transcription factor NKX2.1, a known oncogene activated early during lung tumor development [ 10 ].…”