Airway Dysbiosis Accelerates Lung Function Decline in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Murine UPLC-MS/MS assays)

Progressive lung function decline is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Airway dysbiosis occurs in COPD, but whether it contributes to disease progression remains unknown. Here we showed, through a longitudinal analysis on two cohorts involving four UK centers, that baseline airway dysbiosis in COPD patients, characterized by enrichment of opportunistic pathogenic taxa, was associated with rapid forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) decline over two years. The dysbiosis was associated with exacerbation-related FEV1 fall and sudden FEV1 fall at stability, contributing to long-term FEV1 decline. The microbiota- FEV1-decline association was validated in a third cohort in China. Human multi-omics and murine studies showed that airway Staphylococcus aureus colonization promoted lung function decline through homocysteine, which elicited a neutrophil apoptosis-to-NETosis shift via AKT1-S100A8/A9 axis. S. aureus depletion via bacteriophages restored lung function in emphysema mice, providing a fresh approach to slow COPD progression by targeting airway microbiome.

Linked studies:
UPLC-MS/MS assays of murine samples are reported in this study.
UPLC-MS/MS assays of human samples are reported in MTBLS5423.
UPLC-MS/MS assays of original cohort human samples are reported in MTBLS4017.