Failed drugs for osteoporosis will help with bronchial asthma
British and American researchers working under the guidance of Professor Daniela Riccardi from Cardiff University have identified a potential underlying cause of the development of bronchial asthma and an existing drug that can help in the fight against this disease, which affects about 300 million people worldwide.
In experiments on samples of respiratory tract tissue of healthy people and patients with bronchial asthma, as well as on a mouse model of the disease, the authors demonstrated that the key role in the development of asthma belongs to calcium-sensitive receptors (CaSR).
Moreover, they demonstrated the effectiveness of drugs belonging to the class of calcilitics in influencing calcium-sensitive receptors to eliminate all symptoms associated with bronchial asthma. The main symptoms of the disease include difficulty breathing narrowing of the airways, as well as their irritability and inflammation.
Calcilitics were developed about 15 years ago and were originally intended for the treatment of osteoporosis. It was assumed that they would strengthen the collapsing bone tissue by acting on calcium-sensitive receptors to induce the release of anabolic hormone. However, calcilitics recognized as clinically safe and well tolerated by patients proved to be useless in the treatment of this disease.
The results obtained by the authors can give drugs of this class a new life. The researchers plan to begin clinical studies of the effectiveness of their use for the treatment of bronchial asthma within the next two years.
While in many cases the course of asthma is well controlled with the help of medical methods, about one in 12 patients does not respond to existing therapeutic approaches. The treatment of these patients accounts for approximately 90% of all medical costs for the treatment of bronchial asthma. Experts hope that the new approach will not only improve the situation with the treatment of bronchial asthma in general, but also help patients with resistant forms of the disease.
Moreover, the identification of calcium-dependent receptors in the respiratory tract tissue indicates the possibility of using calcilitics for the treatment of other inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, including those that do not currently have effective methods of treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis.
Article by Polina L. Yarova et al. Calcium-sensing receptor antagonists abrogate airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in allergic asthma is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Cardiff University:
Researchers’ “hugely exciting” asthma discovery.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru24.04.2015