Neves CDC, Lage VKS, Lima LP, et al. - Researchers assessed if 6-min walking test (6MWT)-derived outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients could be predicted by plasma biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Participants were 20 COPD patients, evaluated on three consecutive days with different clinical measures, including functional capacity, and blood sampling. Using immunoassays, plasma levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-ɑ, IL-10 and soluble TNF-ɑ receptors (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) were recorded. Findings revealed that performance in the 6MWT was independently determined by superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity which in association with sTNFR1 explained 40% of the variations in walking distance among COPD patients. In COPD cases, SOD activity and sTNFR1 levels might be viewed as potential biomarkers of the functional capacity.