Some diseases, such as the “emerging corona virus” and pneumonia, can cause severe pneumonia if the airways become filled with fluid, which leads to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Researchers at the University of Berlin, Germany, discovered the molecular mechanisms that lead to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which led them to discover the effectiveness of a drug on the market, ivacaftor, which is currently used to treat cystic fibrosis, which raised the hope that it might be used to treat pneumonia, regardless of Regardless of the pathogen that caused it.
Pneumonia is the most common cause of fluid buildup in the lungs. This condition, known as pulmonary edema, causes parts of the lung to fill with fluid instead of air. Patients struggle to breathe and their bodies can’t get enough oxygen.
To treat this condition, the researchers took a different approach during the new study, published yesterday in the journal Science Translation Medicine, by focusing on strengthening the barrier function of blood vessels in the lungs, to prevent fluid flow that leads to disease, rather than focusing on the pathogen.
The researchers conducted experiments using cells, lung tissue, and lungs, and the study focused on the CFTR chloride channel, which scientists know is mainly found in the mucous cells of our airways. It plays a major role in keeping mucus thin so that it can be drained easily.
The researchers have now shown, for the first time, that cells in the blood vessels of the lungs also contain this channel, and that its presence is significantly reduced in pneumonia.
To find out what role it plays in the pulmonary vessels and what happens at the molecular level when it is lost, the researchers sealed off the duct with an inhibitor, then used a special imaging technique known as “immunoimaging”. Then the researchers used a therapeutic agent classified as a CFTR chloride channel modulator, ivacaftor, which is currently used to treat cystic fibrosis.
And experiments conducted on animal models showed that the use of the treatment led to an increased probability of survival from severe pneumonia.
