Investigation of differential expression in phospholipid metabolism-related genes in bronchial epithelial cells of asthma patients

Background Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that substantially compromises quality of life. While phospholipid metabolism is implicated in asthma pathophysiology, its specific role remains unclear. This study investigated metabolic alterations related to phospholipid metabolism in bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) of asthma patients compared to healthy individuals, aiming to identify potential biomarkers. Methods We analyzed gene expression datasets from the GEO database to identify phospholipid metabolism-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) identified asthma-associated modules. A logistic regression predictive model was constructed and validated using an independent dataset. Validation of key differential genes was performed using established in vivo and in vitro approaches. Results Six phospholipid metabolism-related candidate genes exhibited differential expression in asthmatic epithelium. The predictive model demonstrated robust diagnostic performance in BEC samples, with AUC values of 0.76 and 0.83 in the training and validation sets, respectively. In vivo and in vitro validation revealed specific downregulation trends for PCTP and HADHB, and specific upregulation trends for MFSD2A, in asthmatic BECs. This implicates their potential contribution to pathogenesis and utility as diagnostic biomarkers. Conclusion This study reveals that dysregulation of phospholipid metabolism-related genes (particularly PCTP, HADHB, and MFSD2A) in bronchial epithelial cells is a key characteristic of asthma. These alterations not only contribute to the onset and progression of the disease, but the gene signature model derived from them also demonstrates significant potential as novel diagnostic biomarkers. This provides new avenues for understanding the pathological mechanisms of asthma and developing diagnostic tools.