HMGB1 and asthma: Watanabe et al. first tested the HMGB1 level and levels of the endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) in the sputum of 44 asthmatic patients (previous to asthma treatment) and 15 controls, highlighting that sputum levels were notably increased in patients with asthma compared to controls, with a positive correlation between HMGB-1 level and disease severity, while for esRAGE there was no significant difference between mild persistent and severe asthmatic patients [34].