title: [Effects of ambroxol HCl on the guinea pig tracheal mucous secretion and the rat pulmonary surfactant secretion].
abstract: The effects of orally administered ambroxol HCl (ambroxol) on guinea pig tracheal mucous secretion and rat pulmonary surfactant secretion were investigated histologically and biochemically. Ambroxol significantly increased the number of active goblet cells in guinea pig tracheal epithelium and total mucopolysaccharide level. Moreover, ambroxol significantly increased the neutral mucopolysaccharide level and PAS-positive substance in the guinea pig tracheal submucosal glands. Ambroxol did not show a significant effect on the content of the total phosphatidylcholine in rat lung lavage fluid, while ambroxol significantly increased the ratio of disaturated phosphatidylcholine to total phosphatidylcholine. From these results, it is suggested that ambroxol increases both the tracheal mucous secretion, especially the neutral mucopolysaccharide, and pulmonary surfactant secretion and these effects reflect part of the expectorant mechanism of the drug.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacological Research Laboratories, Grelan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikarashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D000551:Ambroxol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005100:Expectorants; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014132:Trachea / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005100:Expectorants; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D000551:Ambroxol