NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The apparent beneficial effects of macrolide antibiotics on pulmonary function in patients with cystic fibrosis do not appear to be mediated by modulation of ion transport, according to a new report.
“There are now several reports that chronic use of macrolide antibiotics result in improved lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis,” lead author Dr. Pierre M. Barker, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Reuters Health.
Dr. Barker and his colleagues note that macrolides have a variety of non-antibiotic effects, but the mechanism by which they achieve this improvement in pulmonary function is unknown.
The researchers hypothesized that macrolides may act by moderating the abnormal cystic fibrosis ion transport phenotype.
They investigated the effect of clarithromycin and azithromycin on airway epithelial ion transport in mice. The effects of clarithromycin were also evaluated in 18 patients with cystic fibrosis enrolled in a clinical trial.
However, no effect was seen, leading the researchers to conclude, that the beneficial effect “is not mediated by amelioration of ion transport defects across respiratory epithelia.”
Dr. Barker added, “the mechanism for these beneficial effects of macrolides therefore remains elusive.”
The findings are published in the April 15th issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Source: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005;171:868-871. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Biochemical Phenomena: Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition: Antibiotics, Macrolide: Ion Transport: Biological SciencesCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
