title: Effects of mycophenolate sodium on mucociliary clearance using a bronchial section and anastomosis rodent model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of mycophenolate sodium on mucociliary clearance.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Mycophenolate is one of the most commonly used immunosuppressive drugs in lung transplantation. Although its pharmacokinetic properties are well defined, its side effects on mucociliary clearance have not yet been studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty rats were subjected to left bronchial section and anastomosis. The right bronchus was used as a control. After surgery, the rats were assigned to two groups based on whether they received saline solution (n = 30) or mycophenolate sodium (n = 30). After 7, 15, or 30 days of treatment, 10 animals from each group were sacrificed, and in vitro mucus transportability, in situ mucociliary transport velocity and ciliary beat frequency were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of mucus transportability revealed that neither mycophenolate nor bronchial section altered any transportability related property for up to 30 days of treatment after surgery (p>0.05). With regard to ciliary beat frequency, the operated left bronchi from the mycophenolate group showed a significant decrease on post-surgical day 30 (p = 0.003). In addition, we found a significant reduction in the in situ mucociliary transport velocity in the mycophenolate-treated group (p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data add important information regarding mucociliary clearance dysfunction following mycophenolate therapy and suggest that mycophenolate might contribute to the high incidence of respiratory tract infections in lung transplant patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the combined action of mycophenolate with other immunosuppressive drugs and to establish methods to protect and recover mucociliary clearance, an important airway defense mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane Ferreira Paes E
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Rogerio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pazetti
authors.forename: Sonia de Fatima
authors.initials: Sde F
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Mariana Moreira Quinhones
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.forename: Aristides Tadeu
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: Fabio Biscegli
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Jatene
authors.forename: Paulo Manuel
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pego-Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000601:surgery*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance / Q000187:drug effects*; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid