RANTES in exhaled breath condensate of allergic asthma patients with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

BACKGROUND The response of asthmatics to exercise differs from that of healthy subjects, and the mechanisms responsible for exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) remain to be elucidated. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in RANTES levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) following intensive exercise in allergic asthmatics. METHODS The study was conducted in a group of 19 asthmatics (11 with EIB and 8 without EIB) and 7 healthy volunteers. Changes in the concentrations of RANTES in EBC induced during the 24 h after intensive exercise were determined. Moreover, these measurements were tested for possible correlations with the results of other tests commonly associated with asthma as well as with changes in airway inflammation after exercise. RESULTS In contrast to asthmatic patients without EIB and healthy controls, in asthmatics with EIB RANTES concentrations were statistically significantly increased in EBC collected during the first 24 h after an exercise test. There was a statistically significant correlation between the maximum increase in RANTES concentrations in EBC after exercise and either baseline exhaled nitric oxide (F(ENO)) or bronchial hyperreactivity to histamine and an increase in serum eosinophil cationic protein or F(ENO) 24 h after exercise in the EIB asthmatics. CONCLUSIONS The increase in RANTES in asthmatic airways, promoting the migration and activation of inflammatory cells including eosinophils, may play an important role in the upregulation of airway inflammation after EIB in asthmatic patients.