Abstract
COPD induced by biomass-burning smoke is a public health problem in developing countries. Biomass-based fuels are ineffective and deliver elevated levels of carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and fine particulate matter. PRSS23 participates in extracellular matrix remodeling processes in COPD patients. Our objective was to estimate the DNA methylation levels of cg23771366 (PRSS23) and their clinical relevance in COPD caused by chronic exposure to biomass-burning smoke (BBS). We included 80 women with COPD (COPD-BBS) (≥200 h per year), 180 women with exposure to BBS (≥200 h per year) but without COPD (BBES), and 79 lung-healthy women (HW) without exposure to biomass-burning smoke. The DNA methylation analysis shows significant differences between the three groups included in this study (p < 0.001). HW had high methylation levels (100%) in cg23771366 (PRSS23). In comparison, COPD-BBS and BBES had low levels [0.91% vs. 9.17%, respectively], showing statistically significant differences (p = 0.011) between both groups, with the COPD-BBS presenting the lowest levels in the methylation of cg23771366. In conclusion, chronic biomass-burning smoke exposure is associated with decreased levels of DNA methylation at the CpG cg23771366 site in PRSS23, reinforcing the relationship between PRSS23 and particulate matter.