Correlation between nutrition intake and gene expression profiles in children with asthma

Asthma is a complex inflammatory disease and its prevalence has increased worldwide, especially in young children. In this study, we used a '24-hour recall method' to identify differences between children with and without asthma in energy intake and energy-adjusted nutrition intake. We also performed reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with pathway-targeted arrays (RT2 Profiler^™ PCR Array) to investigate the expression profiles of chemokines and cytokines in children with asthma. The intake of vitamin C in mild and moderate asthma was significantly higher than that in healthy controls. Vitamin E intake in the mild asthma group was also significantly higher. Twenty-three genes were expressed at higher levels in severe asthma compared with healthy controls. Using the human Th1-Th2-Th3 PCR Array, we found 17 genes were upregulated in severe asthma, including the Th2-related genes CCL7, IL13, and CCL-11 (eotaxin). These PCR Array results revealed that the genes that were most profoundly increased in asthma encoded for key proinflammatory and chemotactic molecules. Our observations lead us to speculate that the interaction between gene expression and dietary intake is important for the development of asthma.