Lung available: chip for "air biopsy" will help diagnose pneumonia
Russian scientists have developed a biochip that allows measuring extremely low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in a patient's exhalation. This substance serves as a marker of oxidative stress, which develops in various pulmonary pathologies. The development can be used to detect pneumonia, covoid syndrome, lung cancer and many other diseases. Additional data that can be obtained using the device will allow doctors to prescribe personalized treatment to patients, such as hydrogen therapy. According to experts, the development will be in demand by practicing physicians, as the underlying technology makes it possible to evaluate the most important processes occurring in the body at the cellular level.
A marker of oxidative stress
Specialists from the Department of Hospital Therapy at the Institute of Motherhood and Childhood of Pirogov University, together with colleagues from the Chemical Faculty of Moscow State University, have created a biochip capable of detecting the slightest concentration of hydrogen peroxide in human exhalation. This substance can be a sign of various pulmonary pathologies. Such diagnostic methods are commonly referred to as "air biopsy". Such a study gives doctors more information about the patient's condition and allows them to prescribe personalized treatment and monitor its effectiveness.
— Hydrogen peroxide is one of the markers of oxidative stress and allows you to determine the state of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant protection. Oxidative stress occurs in diseases such as pneumonia, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary embolism, kidney syndrome, lung cancer, and other pathologies. The chip allows, of course, to build a different treatment algorithm. That is, prescribe drugs that actively affect oxidative stress," said Alexander Chuchalin, head of the Department of Hospital Therapy at the Institute of Motherhood and Childhood at Pirogov University.
Oxidative stress is a biological process that reflects the balance between reactive oxygen species, that is, free radicals (oxidants) and the protection system of biological membranes from their toxic effects. In other words, there are oxidants and antioxidants in a living organism. The system is sensitive to the damaging effects of physical, chemical, bacteriological and other factors. The activity of oxidants increases especially in oncological and other types of diseases, the doctor explained. Hydrogen peroxide serves as a biological marker of oxidative stress.
Medical science has been actively studying volatile organic compounds, as well as proteins, enzymes, and electrolytes in exhaled air for the past 10 years. With the help of modern analytical technologies, protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism can be assessed, and biological markers can be identified in a number of diseases, both pulmonary and non—pulmonary.
Specialists from Pirogov University have compiled a portrait of the proteome, that is, a set of body proteins characteristic of various diseases. Of particular interest to scientists are lung cancer and the so—called shock lung, a progressive lesion of lung tissue in response to a number of extreme conditions accompanied by acute pulmonary insufficiency and impaired hemodynamics. Specialists already have unique diagnostic information about these pathologies.
A promising method
One of the substances that can be used to combat oxidative stress may be hydrogen. Pirogov University has developed its own technology for its inhalation. Hydrogen can also be used for therapeutic baths. It is a powerful natural antioxidant. The new chip can be used to determine the right dose and time, and how long a person should inhale the substance to achieve the best effect.
The technology proposed by Pirogov University specialists makes it possible to capture very low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in exhaled air, which was previously impossible. She tells us what redox processes are going on in the cells of the lungs and other organs, as they affect the state of the blood. All this happens at the mitochondrial level. The processing of reactive oxygen species and their utilization shows the effectiveness of the antioxidant system and makes it possible to assess the age of body cells, Mikhail Bolkov, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of Aging at the Russian State Scientific and Clinical Center of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, told Izvestia.
— Using the device will allow you to associate the concentration of hydrogen peroxide with certain clinical conditions, kidney syndrome, lung cancer, and diseases of the blood and other organs. This is a simple and powerful technology platform with a wide range of diagnostic applications," said Mikhail Bolkov.
As Alexander Palman, head of the Department of Therapy at the First Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, a pulmonologist, noted, the assessment of hydrogen peroxide in the air has long been used for diagnostics all over the world and the appearance of a domestic device for this can only be welcomed. This is a very convenient non-invasive method for detecting pathologies, so the development will find its application, the doctor believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
