Effects of Omalizumab Treatment on Some Biomarkers in Severe Allergic Asthma Patients

Objective: The mechanism of biological treatment molecule called omalizumab used in asthma treatment is thought to be versatile; however, the mechanism still remains unknown. This study was undertaken in severe asthma patients underwent omalizumab treatment, in order to investigate the relationship between biomarker expression and disease characteristics related to the immune system.
Methods: Consecutive patients with severe asthma disease (n=15; Group IA, pretreatment and Group IB, post-treatment) underwent omalizumab treatment. Control group was age- and sex-matched including 25 healthy in Group II. Blood samples from both the groups were taken during their first visit (Group IA and II) and then after 12 months of treatment in asthmatic patients (Group IB). Serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy), eosinophil cationic peptide (ECP), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), soluble OX2 (sCD200) and clinical follow-up tests including fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), asthma control test (ACT), and pulmonary function tests were evaluated.
Results: After the treatment, 25(OH)D levels and pulmonary function tests, including forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) levels, were significantly increased. Furthermore, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), Hcy, ECP, FeNO, and sCD200 levels were dramatically diminished. Regression analysis revealed positive correlations between ACT-FEV1 and ACT- FVC and between FeNO-age and FeNO-ECP for Group IA patients. Negative correlations were detected between ACT-IgE, age-FEV1, FeNO-FEV1, and FeNO-FVC for Group IA patients.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the potential use of serum biomolecules in concordance to the clinical status of the asthmatic patients might be a follow-up tool for the omalizumab therapy.