Pilot analysis of the plasma metabolite profiles associated with emphysematous Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease phenotype

► We recruited cigarette smokers with and without emphysema. ► We examined differences in plasma metabolite profiles of these patients. ► Metabolomics predictive model identified emphysema subjects with 90% accuracy. ► Metabolite profiling identified 12 potential targets for future studies of emphysema. ► This pilot study will lead to important prospective study of metabolomics in emphysema.