Association of circulating cell-free double-stranded DNA and metabolic derangements in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
William Whalen, Mustafa Büyüközkan, Bethany B. Moore, Jong‐Seok Moon, Charles S. Dela Cruz, Fernando J. Martínez, Augustine M.K. Choi, Jan Krumsiek, Heather W. Stout-Delgado, Soo Jung Cho
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal lung disease with unclear aetiology and poorly understood pathophysiology. Although plasma levels of circulating cell-free DNA (ccf-DNA) and metabolomic changes have been reported in IPF, the associations between ccf-DNA levels and metabolic derangements in lung fibrosis are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ccf-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is increased in patients with IPF with rapid progression of disease compared with slow progressors and healthy controls and that ccf-dsDNA associates with amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism and lipid metabolism pathways in patients with IPF.