Archive | Cystic Fibrosis

Many of the symptoms of cystic fibrosis are not explained by the current disease mechanisms. Therefore, the authors conducted an extensive literature review and present a new model of cystic fibrosis pathology, which is the culmination of this research. Understanding that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is responsible for glutathione (GSH) transport, the […]

This pilot study indicates the promise of nebulized buffered GSH to ameliorate CF disease, and longer, larger, and improved studies of inhaled GSH are warranted.

CF is a disease of greatly varied symptomatology due to the many possible mutations contributing to genotype and phenotype. This creates a disease complex with a wide range of disorders that can ultimately include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CF-associated liver fibrosis, diabetes mellitus, cholelithiasis, and arthritis.

Whereas increased -carotene, selenium, and fatty acid concentrations are linked to improved lung function, increased plasma fatty acid concentrations are linked to oxidative stress. If oxidative stress is deemed to be important to the clinical outcome of CF patients, means of reducing oxidative stress while maintaining a high-fat, high-energy diet must be investigated.

We interpret the inverse correlation between lymphocyte GSH concentration and lung function as a reflection of upregulation of GSH production by lung epithelial tissue in response to oxidative stress. We interpret the correlation between lymphocyte GSH concentration and nutritional status as a reflection of the role of cysteine in hepatic glutamine metabolism. Peripheral blood lymphocyte […]

This overview provides a review of the most pertinent recent research findings in this area. Exogenous augmentation of GSH in the lung epithelial lining fluid is possible, and therapeutic approaches include administration of aerosolized buffered GSH, intravenous GSH, and oral GSH.