Airway mucus production and secretion

Mucus provides a protective barrier that is crucial for host defense in the lungs. However, excessive or abnormal mucus can have pathophysiological consequences in many pulmonary diseases, including asthma. Patients with asthma are treated with agents that relax airway smooth muscle and reduce airway inflammation, but responses are often inadequate. In part, this is due to the inability of existing therapeutic agents to directly target mucus. Accordingly, there is a critical need to better understand how mucus hypersecretion and airway plugging are affected by the epithelial cells that synthesize, secrete, and transport mucus components...

Goblet cell hyperplasia and increased mucus production are features of airway diseases, including asthma, and excess airway mucus often worsens these conditions. Even steroids are not uniformly effective in mucus production in severe asthma, and new therapeutic options are needed. Seihaito is a Japanese traditional medicine that is used clinically as an antitussive and expectorant. In the present study, we examined the effect of Seihaito on goblet cell differentiation and mucus production. In in vitro studies, using air-liquid interface culture of guinea-pig tracheal epithelial cells, Seihaito inhibited IL-13-induced proliferation of goblet cells and MUC5AC, a major component of mucus production...

BACKGROUND: Allergic asthma is an important respiratory system problem characterized by airway inflammation, breathlessness, and bronchoconstriction. Allergic asthma and its outcomes are triggered by type 2 allergic immune responses. Tectorigenin is a methoxy-isoflavone with anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of tectorigenin on the pathophysiology of allergic asthma in an animal model. METHODS: Asthmatic mice were treated with tectorigenin...

Secreted deoxyribonucleases (DNases), such as DNase-1 and DNase-IL3, degrade extracellular DNA, and endogenous DNases have roles in resolving airway inflammation and guarding against autoimmune responses to nucleotides. Subsets of patients with asthma have high airway DNA levels, but information about DNase activity in health and in asthma is lacking. To characterize DNase activity in health and in asthma, we developed a novel kinetic assay using a Taqman probe sequence that is quickly cleaved by DNase-I to produce a large product signal...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder in airways with typical pathologic features of airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion. α-Terpineol is a monocyclic terpene found in many natural plants and foods. It has been reported to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory and expectorant effects. However, the role of α-terpineol in asthma and its potential protective mechanism have not been well elucidated. This study is designed to investigate the pharmacological effect and mechanism of α-terpineol on asthmatic mice using the metabolomics platform...

Airway mucus is a hydrogel with unique biophysical properties due to its primary water composition and a small proportion of large anionic glycoproteins or mucins. The predominant mucins in human mucus, MUC5AC and MUC5B, are secreted by specialized cells within the airway epithelium both in normal conditions and in response to various stimuli. Their relative proportions are correlated with specific inflammatory responses and disease mechanisms. The dysregulation of mucin expression is implicated in numerous respiratory diseases, including asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, where the pathogenic role of mucus has been extensively described yet often overlooked...

BACKGROUND: Effects of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. on allergic asthma and their underlying mechanisms remain unclarified. Thus, we investigated the effects of D. dasycarpus Turcz. water extract (DDW) on mucus hypersecretion in mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma and human bronchial epithelial cells. METHODS: BALB/c mice were used to establish an OVA-induced allergic asthma model. Mice were grouped into the OVA sensitization/challenge, 100 and 300 mg/kg DDW treatment, and dexamethasone groups...

Despite concerns over their safety, e-cigarettes (e-cigs) remain a popular tobacco product. Although nicotine and flavors found in e-cig liquids (e-liquids) can cause harm in the airways, whether the delivery vehicles propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are innocuous when inhaled remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of e-cig aerosols generated from e-liquid containing only PG/VG on airway inflammation and mucociliary function in primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) and sheep...

Asthma represents a significant global challenge that affects individuals across all age groups and imposes substantial social and economic burden. Due to heterogeneity of the disease, not all patients obtain benefit with current treatments. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of MD2 on the progression of asthma using L6H21, a novel MD2 inhibitor, to identify potential targets and drug candidates for asthma treatment. To establish an asthma-related murine model and evaluate the effects of L6H21, ovalbumin (OVA) was used to sensitize and challenge mice...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baiheqingjin Decoction (BHQJ), which consists of 7 traditional Chinese herbs including Baibu (Stemona tuberosa Lour.), Hezi (Terminalia chebula Retz.), Mahuang (Ephedra sinica Stapf.), Ziwan (Aster tataricus L. f.), Dilong (Pheretima), Sangbaipi (Morus alba L.), and Xianhecao (Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb.). BHQJ is commonly used for treating cough asthma, and variant cough-variant asthma as it, is effective in improving asthma symptoms and reducing airway inflammation...

INTRODUCTION: Inhibition of Ca2+ -activated transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A) Cl- channels has been proposed to alleviate mucus secretion in asthma. In this study, we identified a novel class of TMEM16A inhibitors from natural sources in airway epithelial Calu-3 cells and determine anti-asthmatic efficacy of the most potent candidate in a mouse model of asthma. METHODS: For electrophysiological analyses, IL-4-primed Calu-3 cell monolayers were mounted in Ussing chamber and treated with various fungus-derived depsidones prior to the addition of UTP, ionomycin, thapsigargin, or Eact to stimulate TMEM16A Cl- current...

Asthma, a chronic airway inflammatory disease, has a complicated pathogenesis and limited therapeutic treatment. Evidence shows that the intestinal microbiota exhibits crucial functional interaction with asthma syndrome. Liubao tea (LBT), a type of postfermented tea in China, positively modulates gut microbiota. However, the potential benefits of LBT extract (LBTE) for allergic asthma are still not understood. Herein, the anti-inflammatory effects of LBTE and its modulation of the gut microbiota of asthmatic mice induced by ovalbumin were explored...

Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by chronic inflammation in lung tissues and excessive mucus production. High fat diets have long been assumed to be a potential risk factor for asthma. However, to date, very few direct evidence indicating the involvement of high sucrose intake (HSI) in asthma progression exists. In this study, we investigate the effect of HSI on ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized allergic asthma mice. We observed that HSI increased the expression of inflammatory genes (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) in adipose tissues and led to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the liver and lung...

BACKGROUND: Lianhua Qingke (LHQK) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine used for treating acute tracheobronchitis. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of LHQK in managing airway mucus hypersecretion in the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). METHODS: The AECOPD model was established by subjecting male Wistar rats to 12 weeks of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure (80 cigarettes/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks) and intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure (200 μg, on days 1, 14, and 84)...

BACKGROUND: Allergic asthma is an inflammatory disease caused by the immune system's reaction to allergens, inflammation and narrowing of the airways, and the production of more than normal mucus. One of the main reasons is an increased production of inflammatory cytokines in the lungs that leads to the appearance of symptoms of asthma, including inflammation and shortness of breath. On the other hand, it has been proven that phytochemicals with their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can be useful in improving allergic asthma...

BACKGROUND: E. coli O83 (Colinfant Newborn) is a Gram-negative (G-) probiotic bacterium used in the clinic. When administered orally, it reduces allergic sensitisation but not allergic asthma. Intranasal administration offers a non-invasive and convenient delivery method. This route bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and provides direct access to the airways, which are the target of asthma prevention. G- bacteria such as E. coli O83 release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to communicate with the environment...

Airway epithelial cells contribute to a variety of lung diseases including allergic asthma, where IL-4 and IL-13 promote activation of the transcription factor STAT6. This leads to goblet cell hyperplasia and the secretion of effector molecules by epithelial cells. However, the specific effect of activated STAT6 in lung epithelial cells is only partially understood. Here, we created a mouse strain to selectively investigate the role of constitutively active STAT6 in Club cells, a subpopulation of airway epithelial cells...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Excessive secretion of airway mucus may be an important pathological factor of air pollution-induced acute asthma attacks. Treatment of airway mucus hypersecretion improves asthma aggravated by air pollutants. Qufeng Xuanbi Formula (QFXBF) has been used to treat asthma for more than 30 years. However, whether QFXBF inhibits asthmatic mucus secretion exacerbated by air pollutants has not yet been established. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of QFXBF on airway mucus secretion and the mechanism of action in an air pollutant benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-induced mouse model of aggravated asthma...

Objective To investigate the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA) MRAK08838 regulates macrophage function to influence the development of asthmatic airway inflammation. Methods MRAK088388 gene knockout (MRAK088388-/- ) mouse model was prepared and allergic asthma was induced by dust mite protein Dermatophagoides farinae 1 (Der f1). The mice were sacrificed after 28 days of modeling, and serum was collected to measure IgE and IgG. The FinePointe RC system was used to measure airway hyperresponsiveness and evaluate lung function in mice...

The Malaysian strain of Nipah virus (NiV) first emerged in 1998/99 and caused a major disease outbreak in pigs and humans. While humans developed fatal encephalitis due to a prominent infection of brain microvessels, NiV-infected pigs mostly suffered from an acute respiratory disease and efficiently spread the infection via airway secretions. To elucidate the molecular basis of the highly productive NiV replication in porcine airways in vitro, physiologically relevant cell models that have maintained functional characteristics of airway epithelia in vivo are needed...