Breakthrough in reducing mucus production may help asthmatics

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 12 Jan 2004 - 0:00 PDT


A compound that blocks the production of excessive mucus has been found. This could eventually lead to better asthma treatment (as well as chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis and some other diseases).

Execess production of mucus in asthma can lead to blocked airways.

A peptide called MANS was found to block excessive production of mucus in asthmatic mice, scientists found. MANS blocks the protein which causes excess mucus.

The report (in Nature Medicine) refers to a study carried out by Kenneth Adler (North Carolina State Univ. USA) and his team (published Sunday, 11th January, 2004).

Adler said that his (and his team's) findings could lead to crucial treatment for asthmatics and patients with respiratory diseases. He added that it would take some time before this treatment could be tested on humans.

Experts say that the treatment would not cure asthma (and other respiratory diseases), but would help a great deal.

Sceintists did not detect any side-effects on the asthmatic mice (they were treated for less than an hour). In order to assess the safety of the compound they would need to carry out longer term studies.

The scientists were encouraged by the fact that the chemical was effective in reducing excess mucus in several different types of mice. In fact, in some cases excess mucus production was reduced by over 80% (so that mucus production fell below normal flows).

Depending on the type of mice and dosage excess mucus production fell by between 50-100%. Scientists said that they found that mucus production requires a protein called myristoylated, alanine-rich C-kinase substrate, or MARCKS.

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