In Deroceras reticulatum, mucus cell ultrastructure and the histochemistry of the epidermis and the digestive tract epithelia were shown to be influenced by carbamate and metaldehyde, two molluscicides used as both contact and oral toxins. After carbamate poisoning mucus production is increased and the chemical composition of the slime is modified. Ultrastructural damage is less intense than af...

N-acetylcysteine L-lysinate Nacystelyn (L-NAC) is a newly synthesized mucolytic agent, of which the action in vivo has not been well defined. In six healthy mongrel dogs, the rheological properties of mucus, its mucociliary and cough clearability, and the transepithelial potential difference (PD) of the tracheobronchial epithelium were evaluated after placebo and L-NAC metered dose inhaler (MDI...

The effects of carbachol, cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8), secretin, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and second mediator-like substances (A23187, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and dibutyryl cAMP) on mucus secretion from cultured gastric epithelial cells were investigated. Gastric mucus was measured by an enzyme-linked lectin assay with soybean agglutinin and wheat germ agglutinin. Intracellular...

BACKGROUND It has been proposed that a pathogenic effect of Helicobacter pylori is a weakening of the protective mucus barrier; however, this remains controversial. AIMS To clarify the effects of H pylori infection on the mucus gel barrier in vivo. METHODS Mucus gel polymeric structure and the thickness of the adherent mucus barrier were measured in endoscopic biopsy samples in subjects wit...

Secretion of bicarbonate into the adherent layer of mucus gel creates a pH gradient with a near-neutral pH at the epithelial surfaces in stomach and duodenum, providing the first line of mucosal protection against luminal acid. The continuous adherent mucus layer is also a barrier to luminal pepsin, thereby protecting the underlying mucosa from proteolytic digestion. In this article we review t...

We present an experimentally guided, bi-phasic, multi-species ionic gel model to compare and make quantitative predictions on the viscoelastic properties of healthy mucus versus Cystic-Fibrosis infected mucus. The mixture theory consists of the mucus (polymer phase) and water (solvent phase) as well as several different ions: H+, Na+ , Cl and Ca2+. The model is calibrated with the experimental ...

Effective clearance of inhaled particles requires mucus production and continuous mucus transport from the lower airways to the oropharynx. Mucus production takes place mainly in the peripheral airways. Mucus transport is achieved by the action of the ciliated cells that cover the inner surface of the airways (mucociliary transport) and by expiratory airflow. The capacity for mucociliary transp...