News – Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues have found that the intake of neutral hyalurones improves lung function in patients suffering from severe lung-lung disease. starra (COPD). Hyaluronan, a sugar secreted by a living substance that acts as a scaffold for cells, is also used in cosmetics such as skin and as a nasal spray to suppress lung airways. Used as a treatment, hyalurons shortened the time COPD patients needed in intensive care support, reduced their number of days in the hospital, and saved money by reducing their time in hospital.
The study, published online in Respiratory research, is a good example of how the effect of environmental pollution on the lungs could be studied by manual treatment. Several years ago, co-author Stavros Garantziotis, MD, medical director of the Clinical Research Unit at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, showed that exposure to pollution causes hyalurons in the lungs to break down. smaller pieces. These fragments pollute the lungs and activate the immune system, leading to constriction and inflammation in the airways. He concluded that inhalation of healthy, neutral hyalurons reduces inflammation by removing the smallest hyaluronan fragments.
Garantziotis offered an analogy for how the swelling occurs. He said hyaluronan circulates cells like mortar circulating bricks. The introduction of contaminants causes cracks in the mortar, breaking it down into smaller lumps.
“These small lumps contaminate the body and activate the immune system, leading to inflammation,” Garantziotis said. “By introducing the full-length hyalurons, like a new coat of mortar, meaning it is less irritating and reduces the amount of swelling. “
Since hyaluronan was approved in Italy for airway moisture, Garantziotis worked with colleagues in Rome to see if inhalation of full-size hyaluronan could improve lung function in severe COPD patients. He explained that the patients were using breathing apparatus similar to continuous continuous air pressure device (CPAP) to treat their significant increase in COPD. This device provided respiratory support by blowing air into the airways through a mask.
“Inhaled hyalurones deserve worthy of stimulant support for patients with more severe COPD, as it is safe and easy to administer,” said co-author Raffaele Incalzi, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Bio-Medico Campus and Hospital Teaching, Rome. “In addition, it works locally, directly in the bronchial tree, and, as such, cannot inhibit any systemic drug.”
Garantziotis also wanted to find out what was causing airway obstruction in the lungs of COPD patients. Theorized that thick mucus may be involved. Collaborating with scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), they grew airway cells from emphysema patients in culture and looked at how mucus moved in the cells. They found that mucus flowed more easily after hyaluronan administration.
Co-author Steven Rowe, MD, director of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Center Gregory Fleming James at UAB, said that if patients with COPD took heavy hyalurons, the treatment would improve mucus transport and help them.
Conventional treatments for lung disease include inhaled steroids, antibiotics, and bronchodilators, so the use of molecules already found in the body is a new concept. The goal now for Garantziotis is to study this treatment in more patients in the U.S., so that it understands the conditions and the best dose that will provide the greatest benefit.
###
About the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS): NIEHS supports research to understand the impact of the environment on human health and is part of the National Institutes of Health. For more information on NIEHS or environmental health topics, visit www.niehs.nih.gov or subscribe to a news list.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, comprises 27 Institutes and Centers and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the leading federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical and translational medical examination, and investigates causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH … Turning Discovery into Health®
Donation numbers:
Z01ES102605
Z01ES102465
R35HL135816
P30DK072482
Information: Galdi F, Pedone C, McGee CA, George M, Rice AB, Hussain SS, Vijaykumar K, Boitet ER, Tearney GJ, McGrath JA, Brown AR, Rowe SM, Incalzi RA, Garantziotis S. 2021. Hyaluronan mixture with high molecular weight respiratory failure in acute COPD increase: a pilot study. Respir Res: doi: 10.1186 / s12931-020-01610-x [Online 1 February 2021].