Quantitative LC-MS/MS identifies significantly altered protein profiles in bronchial lavage fluid in non-allergic and allergic asthma

Background: There is an unmet need to understand the underlying mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis in asthma subgroups. Thus, in the current study we aimed to determine protein profiles in bronchial lavage (BL) fluid obtained from non-allergic (NAA) and allergic (AA) asthma groups and healthy controls. Methods: BL was collected from 20 well-characterized subjects (6-7/group) from the cohort West Sweden Asthma Study (WSAS). Proteins were quantified by LC-MS/MS. The protein expression profiles were examined using the software Qlucore Omics Explorer. Results: In total 3467 proteins were quantified and 2962 were quantified in all samples. The majority of the significantly altered proteins (p Conclusion: The two asthma groups display a unique proteomic profile compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, distinct protein profiles were identified, separating the two asthma groups. These findings need to be validated and further explored in order to identify new disease mechanisms that distinguish different asthma groups.