Oxygenated lipid products in COPD and asthma: A clinical picture

Abstract

Lipids and lipid metabolism are essential for carrying out a wide range of physiological processes ranging from cellular integrity to storage and energy to signal transduction. It is increasingly being appreciated that lipid metabolism comprises of an interrelated set of pathways that orchestrate multiple cellular signaling processes, both in normal physiology and in aberrant pathological conditions such as inflammation. Oxygenated lipid products (oxylipins) are particularly suited to maintain the fine balance between a pro-inflammatory and an anti-inflammatory status inside the cell. Because lung diseases including COPD and asthma exhibit chronic grade inflammation, studying oxylipins in the context of such diseases is critical for the etiology and management of these diseases. Additionally, oxylipin profiles can be utilized as biomarkers to distinguish and diagnose different types of inflammatory respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma.