Abstract
PURPOSE: By considering the pathophysiologic basis of inflammatory bowel diseases, a role for excessive lipid peroxidation caused by oxygen free radical compounds has been proposed repeatedly. However, to date only a few studies are available on this topic in human beings. This study was designed to assess breath alkanes in a group of patients with active inflammatory bowel disease by a technique that clearly distinguishes pentane from isoprene, to prevent overestimation of values as in previous studies. PATIENTS: Twenty patients with a diagnosis of active inflammatory bowel disease (10 with Crohn's disease and 10 with ulcerative colitis) were studied. Extension of the disease was similar between patient groups, and all were treated with equivalent doses of steroids and salicylates. METHODS: Breath alkanes determination was performed by a standard procedure involving a gas cromatography column able to separate pentane from isoprene. RESULTS: Overall, significant differences between patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and controls were found for ethane, propane, and pentane, but not for butane and isoprene. Isoprene was clearly distinguished from pentane, demonstrating that the significant elevation of pentane levels in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases is a real phenomenon and not an artifact caused by coelution with isoprene. CONCLUSIONS: An excess of lipid peroxidation is probably an important pathogenetic factor in inflammatory bowel diseases, and this may be assessed through a nonivasive method. Because this method previously also has been shown to be able to evaluate disease activity, it could be a useful tool for studying patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kirsner JB, Shorter RG. Recent developments in “nonspecific” inflammatory bowel disease. N Engl J Med 1982;306:775–84.
Keshavarzian A, Morgan G, Sedghi S, Gordon JH, Doria M. Role of reactive oxygen metabolites in experimental colitis. Gut 1990;31:786–90.
Grisham MB. Role of neutrophil derived oxidants in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Progress in inflammatory bowel disease. Crohns and colitis Foundation of America. Research Report No.1. 1991;12:6–8.
Simmonds NJ, Allen RE, Stevens TR, Van Somerren RN, Blake DR, Rampton DS. Chemiluminescence assay of mucosal reactive oxygen metabolites in inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology 1992;103:186–96.
Cross CE, Halliwell B, Borish ET,et al. Oxygen radicals and human disease. Ann Intern Med 1987;107:526–45.
Pekoe G, Van Dyke K, Mengoli H, Peden D, English D. Comparison of the effects of antioxidant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs against myeloperoxidase and hypochlorous acid luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Agents Actions 1982;12:1–2.
Karyalcin SS, Sturbaum W, Wachasman JT, Cha JH, Powell DW. Hydrogen peroxide stimulates rat colonic prostaglandin production and alters electrolyte transport. J Clin Invest 1990;86:60–8.
Vangossum A, Decuyper J. Breath alkanes as an index of lipid peroxidation. Eur Respir J 1989;2:787–91.
Babior BM, Kipness RS, Curnutte JT. The production by leukicytes of superoxide, a potential bactericidal agent. J Clin Invest 1973;52:741–4.
Riely CA, Cohen G, Lieberman M. Ethane evolution: a new index of lipid peroxidation. Science 1974;183:205–10.
Kessler W, Remmer H. Generation of volatile hydrocarbons from amino acids and proteins by an iron/ascorbate/GSH system. Biochem Pharmacol 1990;39:1347–51.
Princemail J, Deby C, Dethier A. Pentane measurement in man as an index of lipoperoxidation. Bioelectrochem Bioeng 1987;18:117–25.
Humad S, Zarling EJ, Clapper M, Skosey J. Breath pentane excretion as a marker of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Free Radic Res 1988;5:101–6.
Sobotka PA, Brottman MD, Weitz Z, Birmbaum AJ, Skosey JL, Zarling EJ. Elevated breath pentane in heart failure reduced by free radical scavenger. Free Radic Biol Med 1993;14:643–7.
Ondrula D, Nelson RL, Andrianopoulos G,et al. Quantitative determination of pentane in exhaled air correlates with colonic inflammation in the rat colitis model. Dis Colon Rectum 1993;36:457–62.
Kokoszka J, Nelson RL, Swedler WI, Skosey J, Abcarian H. Determination of inflammatory bowel disease activity by breath pentane analysis. Dis Colon Rectum 1993;36:597–601.
Sedghi S, Keshavarzian A, Klamut M, Einzhamer D, Zarling EJ. Elevated breath ethane levels in active ulcerative colitis: evidence for excessive lipid peroxidation. Am J Gastroenterol 1994;89:2217–21.
Kohlmuller D, Kochen W. Isn-pentane really an index of lipid peroxidation in humans and animals? A methodological reevaluation. Anal Biochem 1993;210:268–76.
Best WR, Becktel JM, Singleton JW, Kern F. Development of a Crohn's disease activity index: national cooperative Crohn's disease study. Gastroenterology 1976;70:439–44.
Seo M, Okada M, Yao T,et al. Evaluation of disease activity in patients with modeately active ulcerative colitis: comparisons between a new activity index and Truelove and Witts' classification. Am J Gastroenterol 1995;90:1759–63.
Hanauer SB, Meyers S. Management of Crohn's disease in adults. Am J Gastroenterol 1997;92:559–66.
Kornbluth A, Sachar DB. Ulcerative colitis practice guidelines in adults. Am J Gastroenterol 1997;92:204–11.
Jeejeebhoy KN.In vivo breath alkanes as an index of lipid peroxidation. Free Radic Biol Med 1991;10:191–3.
Kneepkens CM, Lepage G, Roy CC. The potential of the hydrocarbon breath test as a measure of lipid peroxidation. Free Radic Biol Med 1994;17:127–60.
Williams JG, Hughes LE, Hallett MB. Toxic oxygen metabolite production by circulating phagocytic cells in inflammatory bowel disease. Gut 1990;31:187–93.
Verspaget HW, Mulder TP, Van der Sylus Veer A, Pena AS, Lamers CB. Reactive oxygen metabolites and colitis: a disturbed balance between damage and protection. A selective review. Scand J Gastroenterol 1991;26(Suppl 188):44–51.
Dallegri F, Ottonello L, Ballestrero A, Bogliolo F, Ferrando F, Patrone F. Cytoprotection against neutrophil derived hypochlorous acid: a potential mechanism for the therapeutic action of 5-aminosalicylic acid in ulcerative colitis. Gut 1990;31:184–6.
Drury JA, Nycyk JA, Cooke WI. Pentane measurement in ventilated infants using a commercially available system. Free Radic Biol Med 1997;22:895–900.
Cailleux A, Allain P. Is pentane a normal constituent of human breath? Free Radic Res Commun 1993;18:323–7.
Springfield JR, Levitt MD. Pitfalls in the use of breath pentane measurements to assess lipid peroxidation. J Lipid Res 1994;35:1497–504.
Lauterburg BH. Early disturbance of calcium translocation across the plasma membrane in toxic liver injury. Hepatology 1987;7:1179–83.
Pencil SD, Glende EA, Recknagel RO. Loss of calcium sequestration capacity in endoplasmic reticulum of isolated hepatocytes treated with carbon tetrachloride. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 1982;36:413–28.
Massini A, Trenti T, Ventura E, Ceccarelli D, Muscatello U. The effect of ferric iron complex on Ca2+ transport in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1985;130:207–13.
Younes M, Siegers CP. Interelation between lipid peroxidation and other hepatotoxic events. Biochem Pharmacol 1984;33:2001–3.
Evans DC, List GR, Doler A, McConnell DG, Hoffman RL. Pentane from theral decomposition of lipoxidasederived products. Lipids 1967;2:432–4.
Frank H, Hintze T, Bimboes D, Remmer H. Monitoring lipid peroxidation by breath analysis endogenous hydrocarbons and their metabolic elimination. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1980;56:337–44.
Borowitz SM, Montgomery C. The role of phospholipase A2 in microsomal lipid peroxidation induced witht-butyl hydroperoxide. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989;158:1021–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Pelli, M.A., Trovarelli, G., Capodicasa, E. et al. Breath alkanes determination in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Dis Colon Rectum 42, 71–76 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235186
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235186