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COPD lungs show an attached stratified mucus layer resembling the protective colonic mucus
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2017.
-
Abstract
- The respiratory tract is normally kept essentially free of bacteria by cilia-mediated mucus transport, but in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) mucus accumulates due to goblet cell hyperplasia and mucin overexpression. To address mechanisms behind the mucus accumulation, the elastase-induced mouse model was utilized. The proteomes of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from elastase-induced mice and COPD patients showed similarities to each other and to colonic mucus. Lung mucus showed a striated, laminated appearance in the elastase-induced mice, COPD and CF, resembling that observed for colonic mucus. Less mucus obstruction was observed in mice lacking the Muc5b mucin. The accumulated mucus plugs of the elastase-induced mice were possible to wash out, but a mucus layer covering the epithelium remained attached to the surface goblet cells also after hypertonic saline washings as widely used in CF therapy. The results suggest that the lung can convert its mucus system into an attached mucus layer that protects the epithelium, similarly to the colon.
- Subjects :
- 0303 health sciences
Pathology
medicine.medical_specialty
Lung
medicine.diagnostic_test
Chemistry
Mucin
respiratory system
medicine.disease
Cystic fibrosis
Mucus
Epithelium
3. Good health
Hypertonic saline
03 medical and health sciences
fluids and secretions
0302 clinical medicine
medicine.anatomical_structure
Bronchoalveolar lavage
030228 respiratory system
Immunology
medicine
030304 developmental biology
Respiratory tract
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cc2a7515d9d06f3eadcf3f153d39e0c5