The promise and perils of exhaled breath condensates. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2004 Dec;287(6):L1073-80
Date
11/09/2004Pubmed ID
15531756DOI
10.1152/ajplung.00069.2004Scopus ID
2-s2.0-8644240277 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 109 CitationsAbstract
The exhaled breath condensate (EBC) approach provides a convenient and noninvasive approach for sampling the pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (ELF). Increased EBC concentrations of more than a dozen inflammatory markers and hydrogen ions have been reported in lung diseases associated with inflammation. However, the usefulness of EBC is compromised by uncertainties concerning the sources of the EBC droplets and by the extreme and variable dilution of ELF droplets with condensed water vapor ( approximately 20,000-fold). Reported increases in EBC concentrations may reflect proportionate increases in the total volume rather than the concentration of ELF droplets in the collected samples. Conclusions regarding ELF concentrations can only be made if this dilution is estimated with a dilutional indicator (e.g., conductivity of lyophilized EBC). In normal EBC samples, pH is effectively set by oral contamination with NH(3), and EBC pH cannot provide reliable information regarding ELF pH in normal subjects. Acidification of EBC observed in asthma and other conditions may reflect acidification of ELF, decreases in NH(3) added to the EBC, and/or the presence of gastric droplets in the EBC.
Author List
Effros RM, Dunning MB 3rd, Biller J, Shaker RAuthor
Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Breath TestsExhalation
Humans
Lung
Models, Biological
Respiratory Mucosa