Determination of CD39 and CD73 expression together with their serum soluble levels in bronchial asthma

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of ectonucleotidases cluster of differentiation 39 (ecto-adenosine triphosphate diphosphohydrolase) (CD39) and cluster of differentiation 73 (ecto-5’-nucleotidase) (CD73) and determine the serum levels of their soluble forms (sCD39 and sCD73) in patients with bronchial asthma compared to healthy controls. Methods: A case-control study was conducted, including asthmatic patients and age-matched healthy controls. The expression levels of CD39 and CD73 were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), while the serum levels of their soluble forms were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The diagnostic performance of these biomarkers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Compared to controls, asthmatic patients showed significantly lower levels of CD39 expression and its sCD39, whereas CD73 expression and its sCD73 levels were significantly higher. All four biomarkers demonstrated good diagnostic performance in ROC curve with area under the curve (AUC) values greater than 0.8. Conclusions: The dysregulation of CD39 and CD73 expressions and their soluble forms is associated with bronchial asthma. These biomarkers may serve as potential diagnostic indicators, with sCD39 showing the best overall diagnostic performance due to its high sensitivity and specificity.