Project V (Mucus Dehydration and Evolution of COPD Lung Disease;R. Boucher, P.I.) will test the hypothesis that a significant component of the chronic bronchitic phenotype of COPD reflects the relative dehydration of airway mucus (secretions), which produces mucus adhesion to airway surfaces, infection of mucus with bacterial communities, inflammation, and airflow obstruction. Sp.
Aim 1 will test this hypothesis directly in cross-sectional cohorts of Gold 0/1,2, and 3 subjects, measuring: 1) COPD mucociliary (MCC) and cough clearance (CC);2) mucus hydration (water content/activity);3) the concentrations of the dominant regulators of airway hydration, i.e., purine nucleotides (ATP) and nucleosides (ADO);and 4) the consequences of mucus dehydration on mucus biophysical properties and bacterial infection. Sp.
Aim 2 tests the hypotheses that: 1) COPD acute exacerbations (AEs) reflect a transient worsening/failure of the mucus clearance (ciliary/cough-dependent) mechanism;2) the COPD patient is vulnerable to triggers of AEs because mucus clearance is chronically compromised by cigarette smoke-induced mucus dehydration;and 3) respiratory viruses trigger many COPD AEs via direct infection of the lower airway epithelium and derangement of the extracellular ATP/adenosine and cytokine pathways that regulate salt/water transport and mucin secretion rates. Finally, we hypothesize that we can do little to acutely downregulate mucin secretion during an AE. In Sp.
Aim 3, we test whether we can rehydrate the abnormal (dehydrated) mucus that we speculate is characteristic of an AE via inhalation of hypertonic saline (HS), and whether it is safe to deliver HS to a COPD patient with an AE. Thus, we will test this hypothesis by exposing COPD subjects before (to assess safety) and during an AE to inhaled 7% HS and test acute (surrogate) efficacy via measures of mucus clearance and spirometry. This project depends heavily on Project IV (D. Peden) and Project VI (S. Donaldson) for comparative normal and CF data describing mucus composition (hydration, nucleotides+nucleosides, and mucin molecules). The ultimate goals articulated in this Project for the U.S. COPD patient population are to generate a mechanistic understanding of the failure in host defense that produces COPD and test novel approaches to restore host defense aimed at rehydrating the surface of the COPD lung.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Specialized Center (P50)
Project #
5P50HL084934-04
Application #
7917253
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2009-08-01
Budget End
2010-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$482,039
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Type
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
Muhlebach, Marianne S; Hatch, Joseph E; Einarsson, Gisli G et al. (2018) Anaerobic bacteria cultured from cystic fibrosis airways correlate to milder disease: a multisite study. Eur Respir J 52:
Chen, Gang; Volmer, Allison S; Wilkinson, Kristen J et al. (2018) Role of Spdef in the Regulation of Muc5b Expression in the Airways of Naive and Mucoobstructed Mice. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 59:383-396
Livraghi-Butrico, A; Grubb, B R; Wilkinson, K J et al. (2017) Contribution of mucus concentration and secreted mucins Muc5ac and Muc5b to the pathogenesis of muco-obstructive lung disease. Mucosal Immunol 10:829
Livraghi-Butrico, Alessandra; Grubb, Barbara R; Wilkinson, Kristen J et al. (2017) Contribution of mucus concentration and secreted mucins Muc5ac and Muc5b to the pathogenesis of muco-obstructive lung disease. Mucosal Immunol 10:395-407
Martin, Elizabeth M; Clapp, Phillip W; Rebuli, Meghan E et al. (2016) E-cigarette use results in suppression of immune and inflammatory-response genes in nasal epithelial cells similar to cigarette smoke. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 311:L135-44
Button, Brian; Anderson, Wayne H; Boucher, Richard C (2016) Mucus Hyperconcentration as a Unifying Aspect of the Chronic Bronchitic Phenotype. Ann Am Thorac Soc 13 Suppl 2:S156-62
Sesma, Juliana I; Weitzer, Clarissa D; Livraghi-Butrico, Alessandra et al. (2016) UDP-glucose promotes neutrophil recruitment in the lung. Purinergic Signal 12:627-635
Sherrard, Laura J; McGrath, Stef J; McIlreavey, Leanne et al. (2016) Production of extended-spectrum ?-lactamases and the potential indirect pathogenic role of Prevotella isolates from the cystic fibrosis respiratory microbiota. Int J Antimicrob Agents 47:140-5
Davis, Stephanie D; Ratjen, Felix; Brumback, Lyndia C et al. (2016) Infant lung function tests as endpoints in the ISIS multicenter clinical trial in cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros 15:386-91
Bennett, William D; Xie, Miao; Zeman, Kirby et al. (2015) Heterogeneity of Particle Deposition by Pixel Analysis of 2D Gamma Scintigraphy Images. J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv 28:211-8

Showing the most recent 10 out of 60 publications