MCC, Decreased leads to Decreased lung function

Genetic defects leading to motile ciliopathies or defects in CFTR function are linked to impaired MCC. However, because of the genetic variety, not every defect, for example in the CFTR gene, also expresses an overt pulmonary phenotype. Other factors, such as low-level chronic inflammation may drive lung pathology by pathways independent of MCC. This might also explain the absence of differences in MCC between healthy smokers and smokers with COPD (Fleming et al., 2019). Not all studies looking to elucidate the effect of mucolytics on MCC report an improvement of lung function, even though mucus transport rates or tracheobronchial clearance significantly improve. These studies include, for example, some on the effects of hypertonic saline solution, NAC, ambroxol and 2-mercapto-ethane sulphonate (Clarke et al., 1979; Ericsson et al., 1987; Millar et al., 1985; Robinson et al., 1997; Würtemberger et al., 1988). This could be, at least in part, related to the fact that a sudden drop in lung function served as an indicator of patient distress in these studies, and interventions were halted when they occurred to ensure patient safety (Robinson et al., 1996). Another reason could be related to the mechanisms underlying mucus solubilization that may be completely independent of lung function. MCC is only one means by which mucus can be cleared from the lungs. Another one is cough clearance, and it is highly dependent on the properties of the ASL, in particular the ASL height (Knowles and Boucher, 2002).

Sixteen Brazilian sugarcane workers aged 25±4 years, with a BMI of 24±3 kg/m2, with exhaled CO of 2.1±1.5 ppm, were examined during the non-harvest season and during the sugarcane burning harvest season. There was a non-significant decrease in saccharin transit time (from 8±1 min to 3±1 min) and a significant decrease  FEV1/FVC ratio (from 88.62±5.68 to 84.90±6.47) and %FEV1 (from 92.19±13.24 to 90.44±12.76) during harvest compared with the non-harvest season (Ferreira et al., 2018).

12 (6M/6F) mild allergic, non-smoking asthmatics ages 20–39 with skin sensitivity to house dust mites (HDM) and normal baseline lung function (FEV1 %pred > 80, FEV1/FVC ratio >0.70) inhaled sequential doses of inhaled HDM extract (D. farinae, Greer®, Lenoir, NC) delivered as 5 inhalations from a Devilbiss 646 nebulizer (mass median aerodynamic diameter of 5 um, GSD = 2.0). Five of the 12 patients responded to the allergen challenge with >10% reductions in FEV1 % predicted and reduction in whole lung MCC as evidenced by increased retention rates (mean Central TB Ave120Ret increased from 0.69 to 0.79 for baseline vs. allergen challenge respectively). This reduction in MCC significantly correlated with the post challenge 24 hour FEV1 (Bennett et al., 2011).

Treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis with bromhexine (3 x 16 mg/day) for 14 days resulted in mean changes in FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC of + 0.047 L + 0.033 L and +0.6%, respectively, with MCC at 6 h being 6.8% greater after treatment compared to baseline (Thomson et al., 1974). Treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis with ambroxol alone (2 x 30 mg/day) or with theophyllin (2 x 400 mg/day) and ambroxol (2 x 30 mg/day) for 7 days MCC/h improved from 18.3 ± 11.1% to 23.3 ± 13% and 29.6 ± 15.7%, respectively whereas lung function remained nearly unchanged with FEV1 predicted of 86.0 ± 9.78 at baseline vs 83.7 ± 9.27 (ambroxol only) and 83.1 ± 11.07 (combination) (Würtemberger et al., 1988).

Treatment of chronic bronchitics with N-acetylcysteine (4 mg/day by metered dose inhaler) for 16 weeks significantly improved sputum viscosity (-0.53 vs -0.67; differences between medians to placebo: 0-14 (-0.77 0.64)) and minimally improved FVC (3.0±0.21 vs 2.9± 0.18 L/s) and PEF (356.7 ±29.64 L/min vs 354.6±25.07) but not FEV1 (1.9±0.18 vs 2.0± 0.13 L/s) (Dueholm et al., 1992).

Treatment of asthmatics with salmeterol improved tracheobronchial clearance rates (AUC: 333±24%h vs 347±30%h in placebo) as well as FEV1 (76 ± 8), FVC (100 ± 5) and PEF % predicted (100 ± 7) compared to placebo (73 ± 8; 95 ± 5; 94 ± 7) (Hasani et al., 2003).

Treatment of mild-to-moderate bronchitics with 42 µg salmeterol slightly enhanced whole lung clearance in 2 hr (not significant; C10–2= 25±11% vs 22±10% in placebo), significantly increased mean  peripheral lung clearance (C10–2= 22±9% vs 17±10% in placebo) and significantly increased FEV1 %pred and FEF25–75 at 2 h compared to baseline (93±18%predicted, 2.45 ± 1.08 L/s vs 88±19%predicted, 2.27 ± 0.98 L/s in placebo) (Bennett et al., 2006).

Sputum induction by inhalation of hypertonic saline solution (5%) in asthmatics at 6 hr following challenge with LPS significantly improved FEV % predicted by approx. 20% and was accompanied by a ca. 6-fold increase in whole lung clearance (from 0.1 %/min to 0.6%/min) (Alexis et al., 2017).

133 cystic fibrosis patients (age (mean [SD]) was 21.1 (11.4) years and 46.4% were female. All participants had one copy of the G551D mutation, and 72.2% were compound heterozygous with F508del on the other allele.) completed a 6-month course of ivacaftor. Lung function improved from baseline FEV1% predicted of 82.6 (25.6) to 90.1 (25.0) (mean change, 6.7; 95% CI, 4.9–8.5). In a subgroup of 22 patients, particle clearance from the whole right lung was markedly increased. Average clearance through 60 minutes at 1 month post-treatment was more than twice the baseline value, reflecting substantially improved MCC (Rowe et al., 2014b). Inhalation of hypertonic saline solution (7%, 4 mL twice daily for 48 weeks) by cystic fibrosis patients improved FVC (by 82 mL; 95 percent confidence interval, 12 to 153) and FEV1 (by 68 mL; 95 percent confidence interval, 3 to 132) values, but not FEF25–75 (Elkins et al., 2006).

In cystic fibrosis patients that inhaled hypertonic saline solution without amiloride twice a day over a period of 14 days one-hour mucus clearance rates improved from baseline (9.3±1.6%) to 14.0±2.0% and increased FEV1 by 6.2%. FVC and FEF25-75 also improved by 1.8% and 13.1%, respectively (Donaldson et al., 2006).

Dornase alfa (recombinant human DNase) is currently used as a mucolytic to treat pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis. It reduces mucus viscosity in the lungs, promoting improved clearance of secretions (Yang and Montgomery, 2021). In children with cystic fibrosis (mean: 8.4 yrs of age with FEV1 ≥95% predicted) treated with dornase alfa for 96 weeks, FEV1 % predicted improved by 3.2 ± 1.2, FVC % predicted improved by 0.7 ± 1.0, and FEF25-75 % predicted improved by 7.9 ± 2.3 compared to placebo (Quan et al., 2001). In young patients with cystic fibrosis (6-18 yrs of age with FEV1 ≥80% predicted) treated with dornase alfa for 96 weeks, FEF25-75 % predicted improved by 6.1±10.34 compared to placebo (Amin et al., 2011). In 10 adult cystic fibrosis patients receiving 2.5 mg rhDNase twice a day for 6 days, FEV1 and FVC increased by an average of 9.4 ± 3.5% and 12.7 ± 2.6%, respectively, as compared with a decrease of 1.8 ± 1.7% and an increase of 0.4±1.1% in the placebo group, respectively, although there were no significant changes in MCC (Laube et al., 1996). In 320 cystic fibrosis patients (7 to 57 yrs of age), dornase alfa treatment at 2.5 mg/day for 12 weeks (McCoy et al., 1996).

Saccharin transit times (a marker of nasal MCC) were higher in healthy current smokers and COPD smokers than in healthy controls (10.87 [7.29–17] min and 16.47 [8.25–20.15] min, respectively, vs 8.52 [5.54–13.91] min). These groups also differed in their lung function indices: FEV1 % predicted was 101.4 ± 12.37 in healthy controls, 96.41 ± 12.3 in healthy current smokers, and 67.96 ± 24.02 in COPD smokers. FVC % predicted was 103.1 ± 13.45 in healthy controls, 97.51 ± 12.88 in healthy current smokers, and 90.33 ± 29.27 in COPD smokers. FEV1/FVC % predicted was 82.15 [78.5–85] in healthy controls, 82.20 [79.2–84.1] in healthy current smokers, and 61.1 [55.3–67.2] in COPD smokers (Uzeloto et al., 2021). Saccharin transit time of smokers with COPD (16.5 [11–28] min, median [interquartile range 25–75%]) was slightly longer than that of current smokers (15.9 [10 –27] min), and both were longer compared with exsmokers with COPD (10.2 [6 –12] min) and nonsmokers (8 [6 –16] min). Lung function parameters for the groups were as follows: nonsmokers, FEV1/FVC 0.84 ± 0.09, FEV1 % predicted  103.2 ± 11.5, FVC % predicted 102.2 ± 13.3; current smokers, FEV1/FVC 0.76 ± 0.05, FEV1 % predicted  90.7 ± 7.4, FVC % predicted 96.3 ± 13.9; former smokers with COPD, FEV1/FVC 0.49 ± 0.08, FEV1 % predicted  46.8 ± 12.6, FVC % predicted 76.8 ± 18.5; current smokers with COPD, FEV1/FVC 0.66 ± 0.16, FEV1 % predicted  48.7 ± 16.8, FVC % predicted 71.7 ± 13.0 (Ito et al., 2015).  

Six asymptomatic patients with bronchial asthma and a history of allergic pollenosis and episodic bronchospasm consistent with ragweed hypersensitivity wer challenged by inhalation of an aqueous, short ragweed antigen extract (Greer Laboratories, Lenoir, N.C.), diluted with a phosphate-buffered saline solution. Mean tracheal mucus velocity (TMV) decreased to 72% of baseline immediately after challenge when specific airway conductance (SGaw), and FEV1 showed a maximal decrease, with a further decrease to 47% of baseline after 1 h, when SGaw and FEV1 had returned to baseline values (Mezey et al., 1978).

Treatment of chronic bronchitics with N-acetylcysteine (3 x 200 mg/day) for 4 weeks significantly decreased sputum thickness, increased sputum pourability from 650% glycerol time (at baseline) to 320% glycerol time on day 21 and PEFR on days 28 (+5%), 35 (+6%) and 42 (+7%) and FEV1 on days 21 (+2%), 28(+3%), 35 (+4%) and 42 (+5%) compared to baseline (ca. 33% predicted and 28% predicted, respectively) (Aylward et al., 1980).

Treatment of mild-to-moderate bronchitics with 42 µg salmeterol slightly enhanced whole lung clearance in 2 hr (not significant; C10–2= 25±11% vs 22±10% in placebo), significantly increased mean  peripheral lung clearance (C10–2= 22±9% vs 17±10% in placebo) and significantly increased FEV1 %pred and FEF25–75 at 2 h compared to baseline (93±18%predicted, 2.45 ± 1.08 L/s vs 88±19%predicted, 2.27 ± 0.98 L/s in placebo) , and significantly increased FEV1 %pred and FEF25–75 at both 1 (92±19%predicted, 2.44 ± 1.14 L/s) and 2 h (93±18%predicted, 2.45 ± 1.08 L/s) compared to baseline (pre-dose; 90 ± 20%predicted, 2.16 ± 0.92 L/s) (Bennett et al., 2006).

In cystic fibrosis patients on a 6-month ivacaftor regimen, FEV1% improvement was detectable as soon as the 1-month follow-up visit (mean change, 6.7; 95% CI, 5.2–8.3) (Rowe et al., 2014b). MCC remained at elevated level at the month 3 visit (Donaldson et al., 2018).

One-hour mucus-clearance rates in cystic fibrosis patients receiving hypertonic saline with placebo were significantly faster than in the group receiving hypertonic saline with amiloride (14.0±2.0 vs. 7.0±1.5 %), and the durability of response following the inhalation of hypertonic saline with placebo was ≥8 hours (Donaldson et al., 2006).  

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