Mucus Is A Potential Miracle Drug And There’s More To It
July 20, 2021 at 12:39 a.m.
By Max [email protected]
One exception may be mucus —the slippery aqueous secretion produced by and covering mucous membranes. Although mentioning a form of mucus, “snot,” which is another name for the mucus secretion from the nasal passages, is considered rude.
Composition
The mucous membranes are thin and soft tissues that line the cavities of the body which are contiguous with the skin and exposed to the external environment.
Mucus is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. (Serous membranes line closed cavities of the body.) This includes the inner linings of organs of the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive tract and the ocular surface. The main constituents of mucus are proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, antibodies, salts, bacteria and cellular debris.
History
Historically, mucus has been known since ancient times. For example phlegm – a form of mucus – has origins in third century Greek φληγμα (phlegma) and Hippocrates (460–370 BCE), extended the humoral theories first stated by Empedocles (504–433 BCE) postulating the existence of four humors, black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm. (Phlegm is produced by the mucous membranes that line the respiratory tract in mammals.) A balance of these humors was associated with health and an excess or deficit of any one was associated with disease.
Functions
Mucus has been described in organisms from all kingdoms. Viscous, gel-forming mucilages and structural glyco-substances are found in all forms of life, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, insects and fishes.
Vertebrates contain mucus layers in their corresponding organ systems. Additionally, most aquatic organisms also possess an external mucus layer on their skin. Mucus has also been studied from invertebrates (worms, snails, slugs, insects, anemones).
Mucus layers have also been described in various pathogenic protozoa. Mucus serves many protective functions for the underlying epithelia, such as lubrication for material transport and hydration over the epithelium particularly in the respiratory tracts, eyes and mouth that are directly exposed to the drying evaporative effects of air and providing a barrier to noxious agents and pathogen exposure by trapping them and hindering their access to the epithelium.
It serves a cleansing transport function where external particles trapped in the mucus layer can be eliminated from organ cavities by cilia facilitated expulsion of the mucus layer and provides a selectively permeable gel layer for the diffusion, exchange and absorption of gases (eye and lung) and nutrients (gastrointestinal tract) with the underlying epithelium.
Activity
Even when you're healthy, your body is a mucus-making machine, churning out about 1 to 1.5 liters of the stuff every day. Most of that mucus trickles down your throat and you don't even notice it. Mucus also acts as a sort of flypaper, trapping unwanted substances like bacteria and dust before they can get into the body – particularly the sensitive airways.
More Than It Seems
Mucus is more than just sticky goo. It also contains antibodies that help the body recognize invaders like bacteria and viruses, enzymes that kill the invaders it traps, protein to make the mucus gooey and stringy and very inhospitable and a variety of cells, among other things.
Recent work has been done to alter the mucus already present in the body with the right sugars to be used in brand new medical treatments. Such a substance could assist the body in enhancing its ability to select good bacteria and deselecting those that cause disease.
Particular attention is being paid to the mucus in the gastrointestinal tract where the mucus keeps track of all the bacteria, our microbiome, existing there. If scientists can learn to imitate the ability of the bacteria to attach to the intestinal mucus, it would be possible to design oral medications that stick to the mucus, making it more effective.
Scientists have found a small molecule from bacteria that binds to the intestine to facilitate the process. Studies have shown how difficult it is to maintain the effectiveness of drugs when they are ingested and absorbed into our intestinal system. Thus, drugs that are swallowed may act in a less efficient manner.
Because an incredible number of diseases have a connection with intestinal flora, there is little known about how to control it while treating diseases. This is where artificial mucins can open up new treatment options. One can imagine using mucins as a prebiotic material – that is molecules that help the good bacteria. With such a material it would also be possible to alleviate infections or to design eye drops with a mucin that can dissolve the bacteria’s protective biofilm.
Final Thoughts
It has recently been discovered that mucins are very important in the manner by which the common flu virus infects our mucous membranes. Unlike the COVID-19 virus, influenza virus binds to a sugar (a simple carbohydrate), which is found on all mucins and a variety of sugar is being synthesized to treat the flu.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. It contains a number of previously published columns. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
One exception may be mucus —the slippery aqueous secretion produced by and covering mucous membranes. Although mentioning a form of mucus, “snot,” which is another name for the mucus secretion from the nasal passages, is considered rude.
Composition
The mucous membranes are thin and soft tissues that line the cavities of the body which are contiguous with the skin and exposed to the external environment.
Mucus is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. (Serous membranes line closed cavities of the body.) This includes the inner linings of organs of the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive tract and the ocular surface. The main constituents of mucus are proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, antibodies, salts, bacteria and cellular debris.
History
Historically, mucus has been known since ancient times. For example phlegm – a form of mucus – has origins in third century Greek φληγμα (phlegma) and Hippocrates (460–370 BCE), extended the humoral theories first stated by Empedocles (504–433 BCE) postulating the existence of four humors, black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm. (Phlegm is produced by the mucous membranes that line the respiratory tract in mammals.) A balance of these humors was associated with health and an excess or deficit of any one was associated with disease.
Functions
Mucus has been described in organisms from all kingdoms. Viscous, gel-forming mucilages and structural glyco-substances are found in all forms of life, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, insects and fishes.
Vertebrates contain mucus layers in their corresponding organ systems. Additionally, most aquatic organisms also possess an external mucus layer on their skin. Mucus has also been studied from invertebrates (worms, snails, slugs, insects, anemones).
Mucus layers have also been described in various pathogenic protozoa. Mucus serves many protective functions for the underlying epithelia, such as lubrication for material transport and hydration over the epithelium particularly in the respiratory tracts, eyes and mouth that are directly exposed to the drying evaporative effects of air and providing a barrier to noxious agents and pathogen exposure by trapping them and hindering their access to the epithelium.
It serves a cleansing transport function where external particles trapped in the mucus layer can be eliminated from organ cavities by cilia facilitated expulsion of the mucus layer and provides a selectively permeable gel layer for the diffusion, exchange and absorption of gases (eye and lung) and nutrients (gastrointestinal tract) with the underlying epithelium.
Activity
Even when you're healthy, your body is a mucus-making machine, churning out about 1 to 1.5 liters of the stuff every day. Most of that mucus trickles down your throat and you don't even notice it. Mucus also acts as a sort of flypaper, trapping unwanted substances like bacteria and dust before they can get into the body – particularly the sensitive airways.
More Than It Seems
Mucus is more than just sticky goo. It also contains antibodies that help the body recognize invaders like bacteria and viruses, enzymes that kill the invaders it traps, protein to make the mucus gooey and stringy and very inhospitable and a variety of cells, among other things.
Recent work has been done to alter the mucus already present in the body with the right sugars to be used in brand new medical treatments. Such a substance could assist the body in enhancing its ability to select good bacteria and deselecting those that cause disease.
Particular attention is being paid to the mucus in the gastrointestinal tract where the mucus keeps track of all the bacteria, our microbiome, existing there. If scientists can learn to imitate the ability of the bacteria to attach to the intestinal mucus, it would be possible to design oral medications that stick to the mucus, making it more effective.
Scientists have found a small molecule from bacteria that binds to the intestine to facilitate the process. Studies have shown how difficult it is to maintain the effectiveness of drugs when they are ingested and absorbed into our intestinal system. Thus, drugs that are swallowed may act in a less efficient manner.
Because an incredible number of diseases have a connection with intestinal flora, there is little known about how to control it while treating diseases. This is where artificial mucins can open up new treatment options. One can imagine using mucins as a prebiotic material – that is molecules that help the good bacteria. With such a material it would also be possible to alleviate infections or to design eye drops with a mucin that can dissolve the bacteria’s protective biofilm.
Final Thoughts
It has recently been discovered that mucins are very important in the manner by which the common flu virus infects our mucous membranes. Unlike the COVID-19 virus, influenza virus binds to a sugar (a simple carbohydrate), which is found on all mucins and a variety of sugar is being synthesized to treat the flu.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. It contains a number of previously published columns. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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