Intraluminal inflammation in the airways of patients with chronic bronchitis after treatment with Ambroxol
Lusuardi, M.; Capelli, A.; Salmona, M.; Tacconi, M.T.; Cerutti, C.G.; Donner, C.F.
Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 50(5): 346-351
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 1122-0643 PMID: 8541815 Document Number: 7013
Ambroxol is a mucus-modifying drug with a known ability to stimulate surfactant secretion and inhibit, in vitro, the production of proinflammatory cytokines, neutrophil chemotaxis, and Na+ absorption by the airway epithelium. In dogs inhaling ozone, bronchial hyperreactivity can be inhibited by aerosolized Ambroxol. To verify the possibility of producing anti-inflammatory effects in a clinically relevant condition, 20 patients with chronic bronchitis, randomly divided into two balanced matched groups, were submitted to a 14 day trial with Ambroxol, 150 mg.day-1, or placebo, according to a double-blind design. A bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed the day before starting treatment (T0) and at the 14th day (T14). The analysis of the cellular and soluble (total proteins, albumin, immunoglobulin G and A (IgG and IgA)) BAL components demonstrated no clear modifications. In particular, neutrophil values from the bronchial aliquot showed a large dispersion, with no significant differences (Ambroxol: T0 = 13.7 +/- 5.2%, T14 = 14.0 +/- 6.8%; placebo: T0 = 3.6 +/- 1.1%, T14 = 5.5 +/- 2.2%). We found a nonsignificant increase of phospholipids in BAL supernatants from Ambroxol-treated patients (2.5 +/- 1.9 vs 3.0 +/- 1.9 micrograms.mg-1 of protein); whilst in the placebo group data before and after treatment were superimposable (2.2 +/- 1.5 vs 2.3 +/- 1.9 micrograms.mg-1 of protein). In conclusion, we have failed to demonstrate that conventional treatment with oral Ambroxol can modify surfactant and BAL cell populations in the airways of patients with chronic bronchitis.
Document emailed within 1 workday
