PTX 3 (pentraxin3) is associated with lung function among people with stable-stage smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent chronic respiratory illness. Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is abnormally elevated in the plasma of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. However, the role and significance of PTX3 in the clinical diagnosis of COPD remain unclear.

Objectives: This study was to explore the functional role of plasma PTX3 in COPD and its relationship with lung function metrics and influence on the severity of the disease.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 170 patients with stable-stage COPD admitted to our hospital between June 2020 and May 2023 and healthy study participants as study participants. Based on their smoking history, all participants were classified into those with a history of smoking and those without a smoking history.

Results: Stable-stage smoking-related COPD patients exhibited lower values for FEV1(% predicted) and reduced FEV1/FVC ratios, with increased values for smoking index, red cell distribution width, fibrinogen, d-dimer, white blood cell counts, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Medical Research Council (mMRC) scores, COPD assessment test (CAT) score, and plasma PTX3 level. There was a positive correlation of PTX3 levels with mMRC and CAT scores and a negative correlation with FEV1 % predicted and FEV1/FVC. Increased smoking index and plasma PTX3 and NLR were independent risk factors for exacerbation in stable smoking-related COPD patients. The area under the curve (AUC) for plasma PTX3 in predicting severe COPD was 0.831.

Conclusions: A plasma PTX3 level > 246.2 ng/mL could be a valuable indicator for predicting exacerbations in patients with stable-stage smoking-associated COPD exacerbation.