Modeling Airway Dysfunction in Asthma Using Synthetic Mucus Biomaterials.

ABSTRACT: As asthma worsens, occlusion of airways with mucus significantly contributes to airflow obstruction and reduced lung function. Recent evidence from clinical studies has shown mucus obtained from adults and children with asthma possesses altered mucin composition. However, how these changes alter the functional properties of the mucus gel is not yet fully understood. To study this, we have engineered a synthetic mucus biomaterial to closely mimic the properties of native mucus in health and disease. We demonstrate that this model possesses comparable biophysical and transport properties to native mucus ex vivo collected from human subjects and in vitro isolated from human airway epithelial (HAE) tissue cultures. We found by systematically varying mucin composition that mucus g

SUBMITTER: Song D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8803127 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature