ObjectiveTo investigate the levels of nutritional status, serum leptin, TNF-α, IL-8 and C-reactive protein(CRP) in patients with two clinical phenotypes of COPD. MethodsNutritional parameters, including body mass index, percent ideal body weight, triceps skin-fold thickness, mid-upper arm circumference, albumin, lymphocytes count, serum leptin, TNF-α, IL-8 and CRP levels were determined in 40 healthy controls and 120 patients with COPD. The COPD patients were divided into a typical emphysema type(A group) and a bronchitis type(B group), both groups included COPD patients in acute exacerbation phase and in stable phase. ResultsThe nutritional parameters in B group were higher than those in A group(P < 0.05). Serum leptin level was lower in stable A group and stable B group than that in the control group[(7.76±2.93) ng/L and (10.04±5.11) ng/L vs. (14.93±8.47) ng/L, P < 0.05], higher in A group[(12.99±5.56) ng/L)] and B group in acute exacerbation phase[(13.52±5.82) ng/L] than that in stable phase(P < 0.05), and lower in stable A group than that in stable B group (P < 0.05). Serum TNF-αlevel was higher in A group with acute exacerbation than that in B group with acute exacerbation and the control group[(234.65±95.74)μg/L and(195.03±88.00)μg/L vs. (182.07±42.35)μg/L, P < 0.05], and higher in stable A group than that in stable B group[(225.31±84.14)μg/L vs. (188.17±72.62)μg/L, P < 0.05]. Serum IL-8 level in A and B groups in acute exacerbation phase and stable phase was higher than that in the control group(P < 0.05), and was not significantly different between A group and B group in acute exacerbation or stable phase(P > 0.05). The CRP level was higher in A group and B group with acute exacerbation than that in the control group[(46.87±35.89) mg/L and(70.11±65.50) mg/L vs. (5.05±4.49) mg/L, P < 0.01], and higher in B group with acute exacerbation than that in A group with acute exacerbation (P < 0.05). ConclusionsThere are differences in nutritional status, serum leptin, TNF-αand CRP levels between the emphysema type and bronchitis type of COPD, while the IL-8 level is not different between two phenotypes. Leptin and TNF-αmay be involved in weight-loss of malnutritional COPD patients.