Vanin-1 as a novel biomarker for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: The function of vascular non-inflammatory molecule 1 (Vanin-1), an enzyme essential for vitamin B5 synthesis, has not been studied yet in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression of Vanin-1 in sera and lung tissues of COPD, and infer its possible roles in COPD. Methods: We collected blood and lung tissue specimens from 99 COPD patients and 62 non-COPD subjects. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine levels of Vanin-1, pantothenic acid, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrotic factor alpha (TNF alpha), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used for analysis of the diagnostic value of Vanin-1 in COPD patients. Pearson's correlation assay was used to determine the correlation between Vanin-1 and levels of inflammatory cytokines and ROS. Results: Vanin-1 expression was significantly higher in the sera and lung tissues of COPD patients compared to non-COPD subjects. ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was greater than 0.5 for both sera (AUC = 0.7342) and lung tissues (AUC = 0.9061). Pantothenic acid was also upregulated in COPD patients. IL-6, TNF alpha and ROS showed strong positive correlations to Vanin-1 levels in sera. Conclusion: Vanin-1 upregulation in sera and lung tissue is a potentially valuable biomarker for COPD. Vanin1 showed positive correlations to levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and ROS. Together, our results support the further development of Vanin-1 as a new target for the diagnosis or treatment of COPD. (C) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the expression of Vanin-1 in COPD patients and found that Vanin-1 was significantly upregulated in the sera and lung tissues of COPD patients. The expression of Vanin-1 showed positive correlations with levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and ROS. These findings suggest that Vanin-1 may serve as a potential biomarker and new target for the diagnosis or treatment of COPD.