Study to Evaluate the Effects of Weight Loss on Airway Inflammation and Mechanics in Subjects With Asthma

This study is designed to explain the unexpected effects of obesity on NO bioavailability in the airways of asthmatics: Specifically, that obesity induces systemic oxidative stress in part through increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in adipose tissue and, in parallel (or as a consequence), increased systemic levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α)and 8-isoprostanes. Furthermore, it creates an imbalance in the regulation of protective anti-oxidant thiol/disulfide pairs such as glutathione/glutathione disulfide. We hypothesize that in asthmatics, the lung is a target-organ of this obesity-related systemic oxidative stress. This is manifested as increased oxidation of airway NO into nitrate and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) including peroxynitrate and nitrotyrosine, thereby reducing NO bioavailability and exhaled NO levels. NO has many key physiological properties including bronchodilation, anti-tumoral/bactericidal activity, and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activity. Thus, reduced NO bioavailability in obese asthmatics could favor increased bronchoconstriction and impair the lung's ability to respond to further oxidative or inflammatory challenges. Therefore, we hypothesize that: 1) obesity causes redox stress in the airway, which in turn decreases the bioavailability of NO by shunting it into RNS, 2) that weight loss will decrease systemic oxidative stress and thereby increase NO bioavailability due to decreased oxidation into RNS, and 3) that by decreasing systemic oxidative stress, weight loss will reduce bronchial hyper-reactivity.